Schedule
Hillsdale (14-6, 11-2 G-MAC) at Thomas More (8-13, 5-8 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 6 | Connor Convocation Center | Crestview Hills, KY
Hillsdale (14-6, 11-2 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (10-8, 6-7 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 8 | Owensboro Sportscenter | Owensboro, KY
 
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Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket Links
 
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Thomas More Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Thomas More Stats | KWC Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
 
Projected Starters
 
Hillsdale: #3 Lauren McDonald, Sr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (14 ppg, 6.7 rpg. 3.4 apg, 2.1 spg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Sr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2 apg, 1.3 spg); #21 Savannah Smith, So., F, Liberty Twp., OH/Lakota East (10.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg); #30 Caitlin Splain, Sr., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (11.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg); #40 Emma Ruhlman, Jr., G, Warren, PA/Warren (3.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
 
Thomas More: #1 Rylee Turner, Jr., F, Newport, KY/Central Catholic (9.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 spg); #2 Laney Baker, So., G, West Harrison, OH/East Central (6.5 ppg, 1.3 spg); #14 Morgan Hunt, So., G/F, Hollandsburg, OH/Tri-Village (8 ppg, 4.7
rpg, 1.1 spg, 1 bpg); #20 Alaina Keeney, Jr., G, Wheelersburg, OH/Wheelersburg (5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg); #44 Sereniti Webb, Jr., F, Covington, KY/Simon Kenton/Midway (10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1 spg)
 
Kentucky Wesleyan: #3 Sydnee Richetto, G, Sr., Mount Juliet, TN/Wofford (11.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg);  #5 Arielle Dabu, Sr., G, Arlington Heights, IL/Florida Southern (9.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 spg); #10 Riley Neal, Jr., G, Prospect, KY/Miami  (OH) (9.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg); #13 Volborg Jonsdottir, Jr, G, Njardvik, Iceland/Minot St. (5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg); #23 Myah Montgomery, Jr., F, Holland, IN/Southridge (10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 spg)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition
 
Thomas More: It's a season of change for the Saints, as Thomas More had to replace four of five starters from last year's squad, as well as head coach Jeff Hans, who left to become the head coach at Division I Northern Kentucky.

To replace Hans, the Saints tapped the coach who led Thomas More before Hans, Brian Neal, who led the Saints to five conference championships and NCAA DIII Tournament appearances from 2004 to 2011.

Neal has a balanced team in 2024-25 built around the top two returners, junior forward Rylee Turner and sophomore wing Morgan Hunt, as well as Midway transfer Sereniti Webb, who leads the Saints in scoring.

The Saints roll with a deep bench that includes nine players averaging 10 or more minutes, though Thomas More will hope for the return of Anna Drakeford, who missed last week's contests and plays an important role off the bench.

Thomas More has been one of the G-MAC's top defensive teams, giving up just 61.6 points per game, but are scoring just 57.6 points per game and need to be better offensively down the stretch to make the G-MAC Tournament.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan: The Panthers get an immediate rematch with the Chargers on their home court after a blowout loss to Hillsdale this past weekend, and will be motivated to turn that result around with the backing of a home crowd.

It's been an up-and-down season for the Panthers, who suffered heavy graduation losses from last year's squad that have resulted in essentially a brand new starting lineup this season. KWC hit the transfer portal hard to try and reload quickly, bringing in four transfers who have all started at least five games for the Panthers so far.

KWC's two leading scorers are both returners -- guard Sydnee Richetto, a Wofford transfer in her second season, and post Myah Montgomery. Arielle Dabu from Florida Southern, Riley Neal from Miami (OH) and Vilborg Jonsdottir from Minot State round out a retooled starting lineup, while freshmen Emma Bruwer, Asia Sawyers, Lena Stinebricker and Carson Sisk all play significant minutes off the bench.

An X-factor is guard Shiya Hoosier, who started for KWC last year and is now coming off the bench while continuing to rehab from an injury. If she can get back to the player she was, it could be transformative for the Panthers, who are looking to get back above .500 in G-MAC play and lock up a berth in the tournament in the final seven games of the regular season.

 
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.
 
Hillsdale defended home court with two dominant victories last weekend, and now hit the road for a critical three game trip looking to solidify their spot as a conference title contender down the stretch.

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

• All three of the all-time meetings between Hillsdale and Thomas More happened last season, the Saints' first as a member of the G-MAC. The two teams split a pair of regular season meetings, and Thomas More won the rubber match 50-41 in a G-MAC Tournament Quarterfinal contest that Hillsdale will be looking to avenge on Thursday.
• Kentucky Wesleyan, a traditional G-MAC power, has largely controlled the series with the Chargers, leading the all-time series 10-4, but Hillsdale snapped a 10 game losing streak to the Panthers with a 73-68 win at home last year on Jan. 20, 2024 and have now won two straight over KWC with a 77-44 victory this past weekend.

 
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. Currently, Malone leads the G-MAC standings at a perfect 12-0 with Ashland second, Hillsdale third and Findlay and Northwood tied for fourth.
• The seedings for the 2025 G-MAC Tournament will be determined by the Points Rating System. Currently Hillsdale is third in the PRS and would host Cedarville in the quarterfinal round if the season ended today.
• Returning All-G-MAC honoree Lauren McDonald is a key player for the Chargers, averaging 14 points to lead Hillsdale and rank eighth in the G-MAC through 20 contests. McDonald also leads the team in rebounds, assists and steals, and ranks in the top 10 in the G-MAC in free throw percentage (9^th), rebounds per game (8^th), assists per game (3^rd), steals per game (2^nd) and assists to turnover ratio (5^th). 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 43.2% from 3-point range and averaging 8.1 points per game so far.
• Hillsdale has a number of sharpshooters from deep, headlined by senior Caitlin Splain, who currently sits third all-time in program history in made 3-pointers with 225. Splain is on pace to challenge the program's all-time made 3-pointer record of 237 set by Chelsea Harrison from 2008-2012 down the stretch if she can put up consistent performances the rest of the way. 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. As a team Hillsdale is shooting 34.3% from deep, 34^th best in the nation.
• Senior Kendall McCormick had back-to-back career games to lead Hillsdale to road victories over Cedarville and Northwood on Jan. 11 and 14, scoring a combined 50 points in the two wins and setting and then resetting her career high for points in a single game. A key defensive stopper for multiple years for Hillsdale, McCormick has showcased an improved offensive game this season and has been one of the Chargers' top rebounders at 5.9 per contest.
• 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 12 in 20 starts so far this season, and is averaging a solid 10.1 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 6.7 points per game.
• Hillsdale's defense ranks among the top in the G-MAC so far, as the Chargers are conceding just 60.2 points per game, currently third in the G-MAC. Teams are shooting just 37.9% from the floor so far against Hillsdale, and 27% from 3-point range. The Chargers are also controlling the glass, grabbing 39.2 rebounds per game, the most by any team in the G-MAC.
• The Chargers have become more efficient as the season has worn on, and now boast the G-MAC's third-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.95, behind only multi-time defending conference champion Ashland and current G-MAC leader Malone. Hillsdale also is putting together an impressive performance as a team in blocking shots, with 3.45 rejections per game, fourth best in the G-MAC.