Schedule
Hillsdale (4-2, 1-0 G-MAC) at Northwood (6-2, 2-0 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 11 | Riepma Arena | Midland, MI

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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster |  Northwood Roster  | Hillsdale Stats | Northwood Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Magdalena Sularski, So., G, Lemont, IL/Benet Academy (4.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg); #5 Sarah Aleknavicius, So.,G/F, Grafton, WI/Grafton (7.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.2 bpg); #23 Annalise Pietrzyk, Jr., G, Lockport, IL/Providence Catholic (14.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.5 apg); #24 Ellie Bruce, So., C, Lancaster, OH/Fisher Catholic (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg); #40 Emma Ruhlman, Sr., G, Warren, PA/Warren (6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg)
 
Northwood: #3 Lexie Bowers, G, Jr., Kent City, MI/Kent City (8.6 ppg, 1 spg);  #4 Maelyn McNealy, So., G, Scottsdale, AZ/Farragut/Coastal Carolina (3.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg); #13 Maeve St. John, Sr., G, Howell, MI/Howell (20.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 3.6 spg); #22 Lea Holmes, So., C, Cleveland, OH/Brunswick (18.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, 2.4 bpg); #33 Ella Miller, Jr., F/C, East Lansing, MI/East Lansing (5 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Northwood: In three seasons in the G-MAC, Northwood has never finished lower than fifth in the final standings, and, after knocking off four-time defending champion Ashland on the road in a Dec. 6 contest, look like a team ready to make a serious title push in 2025-26.

The Timberwolves have the top one-two punch in the G-MAC and one of the best in the country in star guard Maeve St. John and center Lea Holmes, both G-MAC Player of the Year contenders and, quite possibly, the toughest competition each will face for the award. Combined, the dynamic duo are averaging over half of Northwood's points, with their biggest performances coming in the biggest matchups, and they're making a big impact at both ends of the floor, with St. John leading the G-MAC in steals and Holmes leading in blocks.

Beyond their two stars, Northwood has a solid supporting cast. Guard Lexie Bowers is the team's primary third scorer and shooting well enough from the outside (37.1%) to punish defenses who lose focus on her, while Maelyn McNealy and reserves Karie Keefer and Alexa Kolnitys also play important minutes. In the post, Ella Miller is a solid supporting player, and backups Grace Isenhath and Savannah Fellenbaum also do a good job of spelling Holmes and Miller when they hit the bench.

While 6-2, Northwood's only two losses are to nationally-ranked teams, and the Timberwolves are in strong position to challenge for the G-MAC crown with two matchups with fellow unbeaten Malone and a rematch with Ashland looming in 2026.

Hillsdale has a long rivalry with Northwood dating back to Hillsdale's first season in the GLIAC in 1981-82. The Chargers are 26-35 all-time against the Timberwolves, and split with Northwood last season, but Northwood has won four of the last five and five of the last seven meetings with the Chargers.
 
 
Scouting Hillsdale
 
The 2024-25 season was a dream one for the Chargers, who won over 20 games, placed higher in the conference than in any season since 2008-09, and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

From the outside, there's reason to expect the 2025-26 campaign to be a step back for Hillsdale. The Chargers graduated three senior starters, two All-G-MAC players and three of their top four scorers from last season's breakthrough team, and real question marks exist about whether Hillsdale can replace all that production.
 
That said, there's plenty of reasons for optimism for the Chargers as well. In spite of all the graduation losses, Hillsdale still has plenty of exciting talent to build around, and it's not too hard to see a path for the Chargers to be a contender in the G-MAC again in 2025-26 if everything pans out.

While Hillsdale's veteran guards were the focal point for Hillsdale in 2024-25, the 2025-26 edition of the Chargers is definitely centered in the post. The top returning scorer for Hillsdale is junior Savannah Smith, a talented and athletic post who was coming into her own as a force down low before a February injury cut her season short. That injury hurt the Chargers last season, but could have a silver lining in 2025-26 as it gave then-freshman Ellie Bruce a significant amount of high-leverage action. The 6-foot-2 Bruce grew tremendously as a player in the final month of the season after being thrust into a central role, and between her and Smith, Hillsdale should have one of the best 1-2 punches in the paint in the G-MAC this season.

On the wing, Hillsdale has holes to fill but returns a stalwart presence in 2025-26 starter Emma Ruhlman, as well as two veteran players who came off the bench last season but should be ready for bigger roles in juniors Annalise Pietrzyk and Sydney Pnacek. All three are dangerous 3-point shooters.
 
One X-factor for the Chargers is Sarah Aleknavicius. The sophomore was solid defensively as a freshman, and if her offensive game takes off with a year under her belt, she could cause real problems for opponents.

Hillsdale will have to find a new lead guard to replace All-G-MAC players Lauren McDonald and Caitlin Splain. That means a bigger role for twins Emilia and Magdalena Sularski, who will be expected to step into more playing time and make an impact in year two, as well as potentially more time for senior Payton Adkins.
 
The unknown element that could make the difference for the Chargers in 2025-26 is a strong freshman class. Hillsdale brought in size to pair with Smith and Bruce in the paint in 6-foot-3 Addison Kincaid, 6-foot-2 Katie Graves and 6-foot-1 Grace McKinney, along with a prolific combo guard in Maddie Smith who will challenge Emilia and Magdalena Sularski for the lead guard role. If Hillsdale's freshmen prove themselves ready early on for big roles, that will greatly enhance the Chargers' depth and make it more likely Hillsdale goes on a run.
 
Hillsdale is coached by Brianna Brennan, who is in her third year at the helm and was named the BCAM College Coach of the Year for the state of Michigan after guiding the Chargers to the tournament. Abbey McNeil returns for her third season as associate head coach, and alumnus Sophia Pierce is back in Hillsdale for her first season as an assistant coach to round out the staff.
 
 
Other Notes

• Thursday's women's and men's basketball games are another opportunity for Hillsdale and Northwood to earn points in the competition to claim "The Jack" for the 2025-26 school year. The Jack is an all-sports trophy contested by the Chargers and Timberwolves on an annual basis where each team gets a point for winning a head-to-head matchup or for finishing higher in the conference championship in sports without head-to-head matchups. The trophy is named in honor of two legendary athletic directors – Hillsdale's Jack McAvoy and Northwood's Jack Finn. The Chargers currently possess the trophy after outcompeting Northwood in the 2024-25 school year and are looking to hang on to it for 2025-26. Hillsdale currently has a 4-1 lead thanks to two wins and volleyball and higher finishes at the men's and women's cross country championships in the fall, while Northwood picked up a point with a win in football.
• The Chargers were picked to finish fifth in the 2025-26 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll after earning runner-up honors in the conference race in 2024-25 and reaching the G-MAC Tournament championship game. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as conference title-winner, while Malone was selected to finish second and Northwood was picked to take third. Findlay was picked to finish fourth, beating out Hillsdale by five points in a tight race.
• Annalise Pietrzyk kicked off the 2025-26 season with a weekend to remember, shooting 69.2% from deep and leading the Chargers in scoring and assists in a pair of wins to earn G-MAC Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. She's stayed hot from deep since then, hitting a G-MAC leading 3.2 attempts per game on 51.4% shooting to lead Hillsdale in points per game (14.8) and rank seventh in the conference. Nationally, Pietrzyk ranks tenth in 3-pointers per game and seventh in 3-point percentage. As a focal point for Hillsdale's offense and a leader, Pietrzyk should be a major factor in the Chargers' 2025-26 plans.
• Hillsdale has one of the top post tandems in the G-MAC in junior Savannah Smith and sophomore Ellie Bruce. The 6-foot-2 Bruce has been an efficient interior player for the Chargers, averaging 12.3 points per game on 51.7% shooting from the floor and a much-improved 80% from the free throw line, while also ranking third in the G-MAC with 1.5 blocks per game. When Bruce hits the bench, opponents have gotten no relief, as Smith has been extremely effective off the pine with 10.8 points per game in 17 minutes of action a contest. The pair are creating a real headache for opponents so far this season.
• One of the keys for Hillsdale to be successful in 2025-26 is a big step forward from sophomore Sarah Aleknavicius, and early returns are positive, as the second-year player is averaging 7.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, major improvements on her freshman numbers. One of Hillsdale's best defenders since arriving on campus as a freshman last season, Aleknavicius leads the G-MAC in assists per game and ranks second in assist to turnover ratio. Her emergence as an offensive threat bodes well for the Chargers this season.
• The Chargers' efficient offense has been a standout facet of the 2025-26 campaign so far. Hillsdale is shooting 36.4% from 3-point range as a team, second-best in the G-MAC. Part of the reason the Chargers are shooting so well is they're doing a great job of sharing the basketball, with a G-MAC-leading 17.33 assists per game and a G-MAC-leading  assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.04, which ranks in the top 25 in NCAA DII. The Chargers are also second in the G-MAC and rank 15^th in the nation with five blocks per game, and are among the G-MAC's top defenses, ranking second in opponent field goal percentage (36.1%).