In a showdown of monumental importance for both squads, it was the Hillsdale College women's basketball team that defended its home court on Saturday against rival Findlay in a hard-fought 59-57 victory. 

The Chargers and Oilers entered the day tied for third place in the G-MAC, a game and a half behind leader Malone, making today's contest a key game to stay in the league title race. And though Hillsdale led for just a third of the game, it was the team ahead when the clock hit zero thanks to clutch plays down the stretch. 

Trailing by six points with 7:36 to play, Hillsdale closed the gap on Findlay with back-to-back 3-pointers by Caitlin Splain and Emma Ruhlman, and tied things up at 53-all with 2:25 to play on a Lauren McDonald layup.

From there, Lauren McDonald took over the game, scoring seven of Hillsdale's final eight points in the last two and a half minutes of regulation to help pull out the victory. Her jumper with 54 seconds to play put the Chargers ahead for good, and she was 3 for 4 at the line down the stretch to close things out.

Hillsdale also got two critical stops in the final 40 seconds defensively to maintain and build on its lead. By the time Findlay was able to answer with a 3-pointer to cut Hillsdale's lead to 58-57, there was just two seconds left, not enough time to give the Oilers any chance of a comeback.

The Chargers spent much of the game trailing the Oilers, who came out firing, but showed poise and grit, never letting Findlay pull away and continuing to reel them back in whenever the Oilers made a run. A big part of Hillsdale's success came from forcing turnovers, as the Chargers turned 16 Findlay giveaways into 15 crucial points. That helped the Chargers overcome a big Findlay edge in points in the paint. Three-point shooting was also a huge key for Hillsdale, as the Chargers knocked down 10 treys, with multiple makes in every quarter.

The Chargers also played well defensively, limiting a dangerous Findlay offensive team to just 57 points in regulation and 38.3% shooting from the floor.

McDonald led Hillsdale with 17 points and seven rebounds in another solid performance, while Splain knocked down four 3-pointers to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds as well. Annalise Pietrzyk added nine points off the bench for the Chargers, while Savannah Smith led the team in assists with three and blocks with four to go with four points.

Hillsdale is now 12-6 overall, 9-2 in league play and has gained separation from not just the Oilers but also fifth-place Northwood, which is now two games behind Hillsdale with a road loss to the Chargers. Next up for Hillsdale in a three-game homestand is a matchup with Cedarville on Thursday at 6 p.m., and a chance to gain more ground on its rivals for a top four finish and a home game in the season-ending G-MAC Tournament in March.

Photo by Kenneth Gaudet