Schedule
Lake Superior St. (0-2, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC) at Saginaw Valley State (1-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 15 | O'Neill Arena | University Center, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket Links
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | LSSU Roster | SVSU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | LSSU Stats | SVSU Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
 
Players to Watch
 
Hillsdale:  #3 Lauren McDonald, Sr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (22 ppg, 6 rpg. 3 apg, 3 spg); #5 Sarah Aleknavicius, Fr.,G/F, Grafton, WI/Grafton (4 ppg, 2.5 apg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Sr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (5.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1 spg, 1 bpg); #21 Savannah Smith, So., F, Liberty Twp., OH/Lakota East (10.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg); #30 Caitlin Splain, Sr., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (13 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.5 spg)
 
Lake Superior St.: #2 Taylor Stacy, G, Sr., Toledo, OH/Northview (5.5 ppg);  #12 CeCe Hacker, Sr., G, Omaha, NE/Marian (4 ppg); #14 Breah Golden, So., F, Arcadia, WI/Arcadia (5 ppg, 2 rpg); #24 Jaden Wilder, Sr, G, Manton, MI/Manton (4.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg); #30 Grace Bradford, Jr., F, Glen Arbor, MI/Glen Lake (10 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1 spg, 1 bpg)
 
Saginaw Valley St.: #1 Saniaa Walker, Sr., G, Flint, MI/Flint Kearsley (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4 spg); #2 Aleshia Jones, Sr., G, Leavenworth, KS/Iowa Western CC (13 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 spg); #4 Megan McCalla, So., F, Chelsea, MI/Chelsea (16 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 spg); #20 Lydia Meredith, Jr., G Portland, MI/St. Patrick's (5.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg, 3.5 spg); #45 Ava Locklear, C, Fr., Tiffin, IA/Clear Creek Amana (6 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 spg)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition  
 
Lake Superior St.: Lake Superior State is under new direction this season as former Lawrence Tech head coach Grace Howrigon has been tabbed to try and rebuild the Lakers, who haven't had a winning season since 2010-11.
 
LSSU returns four players who started at least 12 games from last year's team, headlined by talented post player Grace Bradford, an All-GLIAC second-team honoree and All-Defensive team honoree who averaged a double-double in 2023-24 and is doing the same through two games so far this season.
 
Hard-nosed guard Jaden Wilder, a strong rebounder from the wing, also returns, as does veteran CC Hacker and forward Breah Golden, both of whom saw significant action in 2023-24 and were important offensive pieces.
 
Guards Gracey Metz and Amanda Roach, both from Hartland, Michigan, and DeDe Smith have played important roles off the bench as Howrigon has played a large rotation so far.
 
The Lakers are 0-2 with losses to two teams from Hillsdale's conference, and will have to improve offensively to win games -- LSSU is averaging just 47.5 points per game so far.
 
Saginaw Valley St.: After a disappointing finish to the 2023-24 season and the departure of three starters, the Cardinals are aiming for better things in 2024-25. So far, SVSU has a big win over rival Northwood and a loss to Findlay with a third G-MAC school, Hillsdale, up next.
 
SVSU returns a strong backcourt led by high-scoring guard Aleshia Jones, who averaged a team-high 13.3 points per game last season as a JuCo transfer. She's paired with point guard Lydia Meredith, a heady distributor, defensive pest and tone-setter for the Cardinals.
 
Hopes for the 2024-25 season depend heavily on sophomore Megan McCalla parlaying a strong start into a breakout campaign. McCalla is averaging 16 points through two games and has been a force in the paint along with freshman center Ava Locklear, who's broken into the starting lineup immediately.
 
Lauren Sollom and Emma Dziezgowski are also solid scorers off the bench and give the Cardinals depth as sixth-year head coach Jenny Pruett looks for a bounce-back year after a 10-19 mark in 2023-24.
 
 
Scouting Hillsdale
 
Coming off the best regular-season conference finish in over a decade, and with a significant chunk of talent returning, hopes are high that the rise can continue for the Hillsdale College women's basketball program in 2024-25.

Seven of Hillsdale's top eight minutes-getters return from a squad that went 17-12 and had Hillsdale's first top four conference finish since 2008-09 last season, including six players who started six or more games.

Leading the way is senior combo guard Lauren McDonald, who exploded with a stellar all-around season in 2023-24 that saw her receive second-team All-G-MAC honors. McDonald can play and defend multiple positions and is an elite three-level scorer as well as an above-average rebounder for her height.

The Chargers can surround McDonald with a veteran supporting cast, with defensive pest Kendall McCormick and proven sharpshooter Caitlin Splain on the wings, and 6-foot-2 center Ashley Konkle in the post.

Hillsdale has one huge hole to fill in the starting lineup with the graduation of forward Sydney Mills, the program's all-time leading rebounder. Replacing her production will be a team effort – starting with larger roles for a variety of second year players who impressed in 2023-24.

Wings Sydney Pnacek and Annalise Pietrzyk both spent time in the starting lineup for Hillsdale in their first season on the floor for the Chargers, with both becoming important parts of the rotation and making critical offensive contributions down the stretch. Along with those two, fellow sophomore Savannah Smith, an athletic post player who received more playing time late in the year, also will compete for more minutes and could shine in an expanded role. Juniors Payton Adkins and Emma Ruhlman also could crack the rotation more consistently with another year of experience under their belts.

Hillsdale expects the rotation to be shaken up by a strong incoming freshman class that includes twin sisters Emilia and Magdalena Sularski, who starred at a high level in Illinois high school basketball with Benet Academy, gifted and versatile wing Sarah Aleknavicius, and a strong 6-foot-2 post presence in Ellie Bruce. While none is guaranteed to be part of the rotation given the amount of experience returning, all four have the skill level to make an impact if they quickly adjust to the college game.
 
Head Coach Brianna Brennan returns for her second season, along with both assistants Abbey McNeil and Morgan Galloway.
 
Matchup History: Both Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State are old foes for the Chargers who shared a conference with Hillsdale for over four decades prior to the Chargers joining the G-MAC. LSSU is 35-24 all-time against Hillsdale but the Chargers have dominated the series recently, winning 11 of the last 13 games, including a 77-53 home victory last season. SVSU also leads the series against Hillsdale 38-18 but the Chargers have had more success in the last two decades, with a 16-9 record since 2000. SVSU has won the last two meetings between the two teams, including a 55-45 victory in 2023-24.
 
 
Other Notes

• The Chargers were picked to finish tied for fourth with Kentucky Wesleyan in the 2024-25 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll after tying for fourth place in the conference race in 2023-24. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as conference title-winner, while Malone was selected to finish second and Findlay was picked to take third.
• Returning All-G-MAC honoree Lauren McDonald is off to a phenomenal start for the Chargers, averaging 22 points through the first two contests to lead the G-MAC. McDonald is shooting a remarkable .731 from the floor so far, elite for a guard, and also ranks top 10 in the G-MAC in assists and steals. In 2023-24, the Chicago native led Hillsdale in scoring and assists and was second on the team in rebounds, steals and blocked shots while making clutch baskets in overtime victories over Malone and Ohio Dominican. Entering the 2024-25 season, McDonald looks set to be a focal point of the Chargers offense in the coming campaign.
• Hillsdale has a number of sharpshooters from deep, headlined by senior Caitlin Splain, who currently sits in sixth all-time in program history in made 3-pointers with 188 after knocking down six on opening weekend. Splain has a real shot of challenging the program's all-time made 3-pointer record of 237 set by Chelsea Harrison from 2008-2012 if she can stay healthy and maintain her career-average clip. While they're not on a record-setting pace, sophomores Annalise Pietrzyk and Savannah Smith both shot above .350 from deep last year.
• Senior Kendall McCormick was a revelation for the Chargers defensively last season, showing improved offensive game while serving as one of the best on-ball defenders in the G-MAC with an average of two steals per contest, and she opened the 2024-25 season with two more steals this past weekend while starting for the Chargers.
• Despite the loss of all-time rebounds leader Sydney Mills to graduation this past spring, Hillsdale continues to be one of the best rebounding teams in the G-MAC, averaging 40.5 boards per game and a G-MAC best 14 offensive rebounds per game so far, while holding opponents to just 31.5 boards a night. That gives Hillsdale the best rebounding margin in the G-MAC currently at +9 a game.