The Hillsdale women's basketball team battled one of the early favorites in the G-MAC title race for almost three quarters, but succumbed to a fourth quarter run by visiting Malone as the Pioneers pulled away for a 68-52 victory on Saturday.

The first three quarters of the game were tight, and Hillsdale took a 26-22 halftime lead over Malone thanks to a 6-0 run in the final 90 seconds of the second quarter, including a basket and two made free throws by senior Lauren McDonald. 

The Chargers continued to go toe to toe with Malone in the third quarter, trading the lead back and forth, and Hillsdale trailed just 42-41 with 1:28 to play in the period. However, the Pioneers closed the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to create some separation, and took charge in the fourth quarter, outscoring Hillsdale 22-11 with two 3-pointers and an 8 of 10 performance from the line proving to be the difference.

Hillsdale committed just 12 turnovers in the contest but a cold shooting night proved to be fatal, as the Chargers shot just 35.2% from the floor and were 0 for 13 from beyond the arc compared to eight 3-point makes by the Pioneers.

McDonald led Hillsdale with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in another strong performance, while senior Caitlin Splain chipped in 13 points and three rebounds and sophomore Savannah Smith added nine points, five rebounds and two assists.

Freshman Ellie Bruce finished with eight points off the bench and Kendall McCormick chipped in four points, seven rebounds and two steals as well for the Chargers.

Hillsdale falls to 3-5 overall, 1-1 in league play, and will look to bounce back next Saturday as the Chargers hit the road to take on Ursuline in a 2 p.m. contest in Ohio.

Photo by Vinny Hill