For three quarters, it looked like the Hillsdale College women's basketball team was headed for an ugly upset loss at the hands of Thomas More on Thursday night.
But the fourth quarter, and the game, belonged to the Chargers, who closed the contest on an electric 21-4 run to put away the Saints and claim their 12th win in 13 contests.
The game had all the makings of a road stunner, as Hillsdale staggered into the fourth quarter trailing by seven points after a poor offensive showing in the first 30 minutes and excellent shooting by Thomas More. With 7:44 to play, the Saints converted a lay-up on a back-door cut to the rim to go up 55-44 and it looked like defeat was all but sealed.
The Chargers, however, had other ideas.
Savannah Smith stopped the bleeding with a layup on the next possession, and Hillsdale caught fire. Senior
Lauren McDonald scored the next four points, followed by a
Caitlin Splain 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to evaporate Thomas More's lead. Trailing 56-55 after a Saints free throw, McDonald banked in a layup to give Hillsdale their first lead of the game since the 8:55 mark in the first quarter, and Splain and
Annalise Pietrzyk knocked in a pair of 3-pointers that landed like daggers into Thomas More's hopes of a season-changing victory.
A Thomas More 3-pointer with 2:39 to play kept the Saints alive, but Hillsdale locked in defensively with three stops on the final three possessions to snuff out any hopes.
On a night when offense was a struggle, Hillsdale was carried by its two senior leading scorers. McDonald tormented the Saints with a 23 point, 10 rebound double-double along with four assists and three steals, keeping the Chargers in reach for the first three quarters and helping Hillsdale put the hammer down late. Splain also came through when it mattered, chipping in 15 points, including three 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. The Chargers shot 57% from the floor and 80% from 3-point range in the final period, making up for the struggles of the first three quarters.
The win moves Hillsdale to 15-6 overall and 12-2 in G-MAC play with six games to go. The Chargers have two more games on the road before returning to Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena, starting with a Saturday contest on the other side of Kentucky against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Panthers took a 77-44 beatdown at the hands of the Chargers on Hillsdale's home court this past Saturday and will be motivated to get revenge and get their season back on track with an upset of the Chargers, while Hillsdale can stay in the title race with a win, after a Malone loss to Ashland moved the Chargers just a game back of the league-leading Eagles.
