Schedule
Wayne State (1-2, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 20 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC) at Lewis (2-1, 0-0 GLVC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 23 | Neil Carey Arena | Romeoville, IL
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket Links
 
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | WSU Roster | Lewis Roster | Hillsdale Stats | WSU Stats | Lewis Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
 
Projected Starters
 
Hillsdale:  #3 Lauren McDonald, Sr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (15 ppg, 5.5 rpg. 2.8 apg, 2.5 spg); #5 Sarah Aleknavicius, Fr.,G/F, Grafton, WI/Grafton (3 ppg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Sr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (6.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg); #21 Savannah Smith, So., F, Liberty Twp., OH/Lakota East (10 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 spg); #30 Caitlin Splain, Sr., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 spg)
 
Wayne St.: #2 Alyssa Leister, G, Sr., St. Louis, MI/Alma (6.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2 apg, 1.5 spg);  #15 Gabi Lutchka, Jr., F, Grass Lake, MI/Grass Lake (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg); #21 McKenna Ferguson, So., G, Grandville/Byron Center (10 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2 apg); #23 Shea Tripp, Sr, F, Jackson, MI/Michigan Center (9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 3 spg); #30 Taylor Thompson, Jr., F, Grand Blanc, MI/Grand Blanc (10.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg)
 
Lewis: #11 Ally Cesarini, So., G, La Grange, IL/Lyons Twp. (7.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 1.3 spg); #12 Taylor Gugliuzza, Sr., G, New Lenox, IL/Lincoln-Way West (12.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg); #13 Jenna Badali, Sr., G, Oak Lawn, IL/Mother McAuley (9.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4 apg, 1.7 spg); #24 Cierra McNamee, Sr., F, Moline, IL/Illinois Central College (11 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg); #42 Gabi Hoover, F, So., Mishawaka, IN/La Lumiere (4.3 ppg, 4 rpg)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition
 
Wayne St.: The Warriors are looking for more in 2024-25 after five straight winning seasons but no NCAA Tournament berths under head coach Carrie Lohr.

Wayne State returns a veteran lineup that includes their top three scorers from last season, headlined by dynamic point forward Shea Tripp and sharpshooting post player Gabi Lutchka, both of whom are from the nearby Jackson area originally.

2023-24 super sub McKenna Ferguson also steps into the starting lineup, while post Taylor Thompson and guard Alyssa Leister are both full-time starters after sharing the job last season.
Junior posts Mackenzie Miller and Ally Shagena are the major subs for the Warriors, who do go deep in the bench at times but stick with a tight rotation of seven players for the lion's share of the minutes.

The Warriors are tall, with no player shorter than 5-6 and all but two players at 5-10 or taller, and Wayne State exploits that advantage in rebounding and second-chance points. Keeping Wayne State off the glass is key to your chances of beating them. The Warriors lost their first two games to the top two teams in the G-MAC preseason poll but picked up a win over Northwood last Thursday to move to 1-2 on the year.
 
Lewis: The Flyers have been one of the top teams in the GLVC in both seasons under head coach Keisha Newell, surpassing 20 wins in both years and winning conference regular-season and tournament titles last year.

Star guard Grace Hilber departs from that squad and leaves big shoes to fill, but Lewis brings back two All-GLVC honorees in veteran guards Taylor Gugliuzza and Jenna Badali to build around. Badali is a talented distributor at point guard and Gugliuzza is a physical presence and a good rebounder for her position that gets to the rim and the free throw line consistently.

With Hilber gone, senior post Cierra McNamee has stepped up her scoring to help fill the void, averaging 11 points per game in three games so far to rank second on the team. Freshman Yaharia Bueno has also impressed in heavy early minutes for Lewis at guard, as has sophomore Ally Cesarini.

The Flyers are 2-1 on the season with their only loss coming in a close game to GLIAC title contender Northern Michigan, and will be a good early-season test for the Chargers.
 
 
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
Hillsdale is resuming a long-running series with Wayne State on Wednesday for the first time since the Chargers left the GLIAC at the end of the 2016-17 season. The Chargers lead the series with the Warriors 35-32, but Wayne State won the most recent meeting on Dec. 3, 2016 in a 74-73 thriller. Hillsdale has met Lewis three times since 2006 and lost all three to the Flyers. The most recent meeting between the two teams was Nov. 11, 2018, when Lewis won a 77-55 meeting in Hillsdale.
 
 
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 a key player for the Chargers, averaging 15 points to lead Hillsdale through its first four contests. McDonald is shooting a strong .571 from the floor so far, impressive for a guard, and also leads the team in assists and steals while ranking second in rebounds. The Chicago native enters following a 2023-24 campaign where she 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.
• 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 189 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 eight steals in four games to stay on the same pace so far this season.
• Hillsdale's defense ranks among the top in the G-MAC so far, as the Chargers are conceding just 58 points per game, behind only multi-time defending champion and national power Ashland. The Chargers are getting the job done by forcing turnovers and dominating the defensive glass, limiting opposing teams' second chances. Hillsdale averages 35.5 rebounds per game and will look to hold up against two stiff tests on the glass this week against tall Wayne State and Lewis squads.