Schedule
Tiffin (6-7, 1-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (7-5, 4-1 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 9 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (7-5, 4-1 G-MAC) at Cedarville (7-6, 3-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 11 | Callan Center | Cedarville, OH
 
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Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket Links
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Tiffin Roster | Cedarville Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Tiffin Stats | Cedarville Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
 
Projected Starters
 
Hillsdale: #3 Lauren McDonald, Sr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (14.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg. 2.5 apg, 1.9 spg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Sr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (7.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 spg); #21 Savannah Smith, So., F, Liberty Twp., OH/Lakota East (11 ppg, 3.3 rpg); #30 Caitlin Splain, Sr., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg); #40 Emma Ruhlman, Jr., G, Warren, PA/Warren (3.5 ppg, 2 rpg)
 
Tiffin: #1 Megan Campbell, G, Fr., Massillon, OH/Jackson (12.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.2 apg 1.1 spg);  #10 Mahya Lindesmith, Jr., P, Cincinnati, OH/Badin (3.4 ppg); #11 Riley Irwin, So., G, Findlay, OH/Liberty-Benton (4 ppg); #15 Lyv Lindeman, Fr, G, Delphos, OH/Jefferson (10.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 spg); #42 Grace Craig, So., P, North Canton, OH/Hoover (7.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg)
 
Cedarville: #0 Brianna Zajicek, Jr., G, Pittsburgh, PA/Norwin (10.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.2 spg); #10 Chloe Downing, Fr., F, Springboro, OH/Springboro (5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg); #11 Ella Sellars, Fr., G, Ashland, KY/Paul G. Blazer (11.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg); #21 Regan Hubert, So., G, Cincinnati, OH/Homescholed (8.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg); #22 KaCee Kyle, Sr., G, Greenwood Village, CO/Cherry Creek (9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition 
 
Tiffin: It's a youth movement at Tiffin as third-year head coach Josh Mason has turned to a talented freshman class to take charge of a program that's struggled the past couple of seasons.

So far in 2024-25, the Dragons are around .500, though a rough start to conference play has Tiffin hunting for a momentum-changing win entering this weekend.

The Dragons revolve offensively around two dynamic freshman guards, as Megan Campbell and Lyv Lindeman are both averaging double-digit points per game. The pair are also strong rebounders and are pesky defensively, combining for three steals per game.

Along with Campbell and Lindeman, freshmen guards Bree Allen and Isabelle Niederst also play important roles off the bench.

Those four freshmen have combined with returning posts Grace Craig and Presley Feltner to lead Tiffin so far.

As expected with a young team, Tiffin has had its share of growing pains along with a set of encouraging wins. The Dragons are hoping to continue to grow offensively in the back half of the season, as Tiffin is averaging just 60 points per game and is looking for secondary scoring to support Campbell and Lindeman on a nightly basis.
 
 
Cedarville: The Yellow Jackets are another G-MAC program that's turned to a promising freshman class for the 2024-25 season, as nine of Cedarville's 14 players are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, including several key players for second-year head coach Addy Miller.

Athletic freshman guard Ella Sellars leads Cedarville in scoring and has earned a spot in the starting lineup with her play, while fellow freshman Chloe Downing mans the post for the Yellow Jackets and Ka'Miah Pryor and Mya Bourget play important roles off the bench.

That freshman core has blended nicely with a trio of returning guards – Brianna Zajicek, KaCee Kyle and Regan Hubert – who all played major roles for Cedarville in 2023-24 and have seen their usage increase this season. Elyssa Kincaid and Emma Neff round out the rotation for the Yellow Jackets on most nights.

Unsurprisingly for a young team, Cedarville has been up and down so far, with some big wins as well as tough losses, but at 7-6 overall and 3-2 in G-MAC play are still in position to meet their goals at the season's halfway point.
 
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.
 
The Chargers are red-hot entering the second week of January, riding a four-game winning streak into this weekend's contests and looking to remain within a game of the top of the G-MAC standings by picking up two more victories this week.

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, including defensive pest Kendall McCormick and proven sharpshooter Caitlin Splain on the wings.

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 Sularski 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.
 
Head Coach Brianna Brennan returns for her second season, along with both assistants Abbey McNeil and Morgan Galloway.
 
Matchup History

• Hillsdale leads the all-time series with Tiffin 21-12, after sharing a conference with the Dragons dating back to the mid-2000s. The Dragons are 5-2 against Hillsdale in the last seven meetings, but the Chargers won their lone meeting with Tiffin last year, Jan. 6, 71-62.
• Cedarville leads the all-time series with Hillsdale 9-7 but the Chargers have won three straight against the Yellow Jackets, including both meetings last year by 77-48 and 86-62 margins.

 
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 14.3 points to lead Hillsdale and rank ninth in the G-MAC through its first 12 contests. McDonald also leads the team in rebounds, assists and steals, and ranks in the top 10 in the G-MAC in rebounds per game, steals per game, and field goal percentage. 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.
• Sophomore Annalise Pietrzyk was key to Hillsdale's stunning upset of Ferris State on Dec. 16, scoring a career-high 19 points in a 76-61 victory. Her play helped her earn G-MAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors, her first in her career at Hillsdale and the team's first in the 2024-25 season. The sophomore is developing into a key two-way contributor for the Chargers off the bench, shooting an impressive 37% from 3-point range and averaging seven points per game so far.
• Hillsdale has a number of sharpshooters from deep, headlined by senior Caitlin Splain, who currently sits tied for fourth all-time in program history in made 3-pointers with 206. Splain has a 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 as well for the Chargers and can provide range.
• 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 14 steals in 12 games, while also grabbing an impressive 6.3 rebounds per game to lead Hillsdale so far.
• Sophomore Savannah Smith is making the leap this season after coming off the bench her first year in 2023-24. Smith has already more than doubled her total of double-digit scoring games with eight in 12 starts so far this season, and is averaging a solid 11 points per game. She's forming a strong post tandem with freshman Ellie Bruce, who's been an instant contributor off the bench for the Chargers as well with 5.6 points per game.
• Hillsdale's defense ranks among the top in the G-MAC so far, as the Chargers are conceding just 61.1 points per game, currently third in the G-MAC. Teams are shooting just 37.3% from the floor so far against Hillsdale, and 27.5% from 3-point range. The Chargers are also controlling the glass, grabbing 38.5 rebounds per game, third most in the G-MAC.
• The Chargers have become more efficient as the season has worn on, and now boast the G-MAC's second-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.89, behind only multi-time defending conference champion Ashland. Hillsdale also is putting together an impressive performance as a team in blocking shots, with 3.33 rejections per game, third best in the G-MAC.