Hillsdale College women’s basketball advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time since 2018 but lost to Northern Michigan University 61-56 in the Midwest Regional Quarterfinal at Grand Valley State University March 14.

“It was not the end we wanted, but it ended up being a really close game,” senior Lauren McDonald said. “It was a cool experience, and I’m grateful we got to go that far.”

The Chargers finished their season 21-10, their first 20-win season since 2008-2009.

Northern Michigan was ranked third in the tournament.

“The biggest thing is that everyone on our team got to experience a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time,” head coach Brianna Brennan said. “ It’s the biggest stage we can play on, and it was really cool to see our girls walk into that game and start that first quarter with nothing but confidence.” 

The Chargers made five 3-pointers in the first quarter, ending with a 19-18 lead.

Hillsdale struggled to score in the second and third quarters and were outscored 13-6 and 15-9, respectively. 

“The second and third quarters were just a bit more cold offensively from a scoring standpoint,” Brennan said. “We still held Northern Michigan to our defensive goals, which was great, but unfortunately, we just got ourselves in too much of a hole to come out of it.”

The Chargers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 13, but seniors Kendall McCormick and Lauren McDonald scored 16 points to bring the team back to a single-digit deficit.

McDonald hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds to go, bringing the score to 59-56. 

McDonald narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points, nine rebounds, six steals, and three assists.

McCormick had 15 points, three steals, and five rebounds. 

Junior Emma Ruhlman scored 10 points and added six rebounds. 

“This year was a turning point for our program and our culture, and we became a lot stronger and attacked adversity head-on throughout the season,” Brennan said. 

The Chargers were led by their three senior starters: McDonald, McCormick, and Caitlin Splain. 

“We’re obviously sad our season is over but that was the furthest we’ve gone in a while, so we’re definitely proud of that,” McCormick said.

Both McCormick and Splain walked onto the basketball team. McDonald transferred from the Air Force Academy, and senior dual-athlete Marilyn Popplewell joined mid-season as a guard after not playing since high school. Injured seniors Carly Callahan and Ashley Konkle will also be leaving Hillsdale.

“We are going to really miss the leadership from those six,” Brennan said. “They were the best teammates and supporters and held the standards high for all of our younger girls.”