The Hillsdale College women's basketball team took charge down the stretch for a huge road victory at Cedarville on Saturday, 71-62.
After trading the lead back and forth with the Yellow Jackets in a tight contest for the first two and a half quarters, Hillsdale closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run, sparked by a
Lauren McDonald 3-pointer, that gave the Chargers a 55-46 lead and an edge they would hold for the rest of the game.
Two quick baskets to open the fourth quarter helped Hillsdale push its advantage to 13 points with eight minutes to play. Cedarville made a late push at home, cutting the Chargers' lead to 67-62 with 20 seconds to play, but Hillsdale was 4 for 4 from the free throw line from there to close out the contest.
Senior
Kendall McCormick had a career-best night to lead the way for the Chargers, scoring a collegiate best 23 points and just missing a double-double with eight rebounds while also chipping in three steals and three assists. McCormick had 16 first half points to keep Hillsdale in the game early and helped get the Chargers to the second half in position to make a run.
The senior got an assist down the stretch from McDonald, who chipped in 11 points, six assists and five steals, and from sophomore post
Savannah Smith, who added 11 points as well.
Caitlin Splain knocked down two 3-pointers to finish with nine points for the Chargers,
Ellie Bruce added eight points and four rebounds for Hillsdale, and
Emma Ruhlman chipped in three assists.
Hillsdale overcame shaky shooting, finishing just 40.4% from the floor and 6 of 17 from deep, with a strong defensive effort to hold the Yellow Jackets to 3 for 22 from beyond the arc. The Chargers also got 20 points off 20 Cedarville turnovers, and were efficient both getting to and converting from the foul line, shooting 23 of 30 on free throws in the victory.
The win is Hillsdale's sixth straight and helps keep the Chargers nestled among G-MAC title contenders at 9-5 overall and 6-1 in league play. Hillsdale has a chance to create even more separation on Tuesday, as the Chargers travel to in-state rival Northwood for a 6 p.m. tip. The Timberwolves sit just a game back of the four leaders in conference play, making Tuesday's contest an important one in the league standings.
Photo by Emma Purdy
