Schedule
Findlay (14-11, 10-8 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (14-10, 10-8 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 16 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
RV Northwood (21-5, 17-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (14-10, 10-8 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 28 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Findlay Roster | Northwood Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Findlay Stats | Northwood Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #5 Sarah Aleknavicius, So., G/F, Grafton, WI/Grafton (8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1 spg); #15 Maddie Smith, Fr., G, Montgomery, AL/Trinity Presbyterian (1.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg); #21 Savannah Smith, Jr., F, Liberty Twp., OH/Lakota East (13 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #23 Annalise Pietrzyk, Jr., G, Lockport, IL/Providence Catholic (14.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg);  #40 Emma Ruhlman, Sr., G, Warren, PA/Warren (7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1 spg)
 
Findlay: #1 Taylor Stanley, Jr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame (5.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg);  #2 MacKenzie Schulz, Jr., F, Strongsville, OH/Strongsville (11.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1 spg); #20 Ella Mescher, Sr., F, Minster, OH/Minster (3.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #23 Allie Stockton, Jr, G, Sidney, OH/Sidney (8.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.4 spg); #44 Alyssa Ziehler, Sr., F, Clinton, OH/Green (14.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.3 spg)
 
Northwood: #3 Lexie Bowers, G, Jr., Kent City, MI/Kent City (8.6 ppg, 1.2 spg);  #12 Alexa Kolnitys, Sr., G, Midland, MI/Dow/Davenport (4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 spg); #13 Maeve St. John, Sr., G, Howell, MI/Howell (19.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 3.9 spg); #22 Lea Holmes, So., C, Cleveland, OH/Brunswick (16.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.8 bpg); #33 Ella Miller, Jr., F/C, East Lansing, MI/East Lansing (5 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition
Findlay: With just two games left in the conference season, Findlay finds itself tied with Hillsdale and battling the Chargers as both teams try to lock up a spot in the G-MAC Tourney and play their way into a home quarterfinal contest.

The Oilers run through veteran post player Alyssa Ziehler, a first-team All-G-MAC honoree in 2024-25 who leads the team is scoring this season. Forward MacKenzie Schulz is another major scoring threat and teams with Ziehler and fellow starter Ella Mescher to give the Oilers a long and athletic front line.

Guards Taylor Stanley and Allie Stockton are both returning starters and key players for the Oilers as primary ball-handlers and tenacious defenders. Ariyah Douglas, Addisyn Freeman Aubri Spicer, Sophie Huffman and Madison French provide depth in the back-court.

The Oilers are rock-solid defensively but have struggled for consistency offensively, flashing real promise at times but also struggling to break 60 on other nights. A locked-in version of the Oilers offensively would make Findlay a real threat to not only make the G-MAC Tourney but make a run in March.

The series between Hillsdale and Findlay has been dead-even since the first meeting in 1985, with the two teams tied at 30 wins apiece. The Oilers won the most recent meeting 75-49 at home on Jan. 22.

Northwood: It's already been a banner season for Northwood, which has locked up its first conference title in women's basketball in program history entering the final weekend of the season.

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.

Combined, the dynamic duo are averaging nearly half of Northwood's points, and they're making a big impact at both ends of the floor, with St. John ranking second in the G-MAC in steals and Holmes second 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 (35.7%) 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.

Hillsdale has a long rivalry with Northwood dating back to Hillsdale's first season in the GLIAC in 1981-82. The Chargers are 26-36 all-time against the Timberwolves, and Northwood won the first meeting between the two teams this season 76-72 in Midland on Dec. 11.

 
Scouting Hillsdale
It all comes down to the final week of the season for the Charger women, who could finish as high as fourth in the final standings with two wins this weekend but also have not yet sewn up their spot in the G-MAC Tournament. Having a good homestand is critical for Hillsdale as it looks to make a fourth-straight G-MAC Tourney appearance.

Hillsdale will look to break through offensively this weekend. The Chargers have leaned heavily offensively this season on a breakout campaign from junior guard Annalise Pietrzyk, who's nearly doubled her scoring output from last season and is among the G-MAC leaders at 14.4 points per game, with three contests with 25 or more.
 
Also playing a big role for Hillsdale offensively is the center rotation of Savannah Smith and Ellie Bruce, who each play roughly half the game and combine to average another 21 points between them. Smith, the leading returning scorer from the 2024-25 squad, has been an impact player in the post and ramped up her scoring contributions recently with four 22-plus point games in her nine seven. As her backup, the 6-foot-2 Bruce is among the G-MAC leaders in blocked shots and an imposing two-way force, making sure there's little drop-off when Smith is on the bench.
 
Senior Emma Ruhlman is an excellent rebounder from the wing, a strong shooter and a critical leader as well for the Chargers, while sophomore Magdalena Sularski and freshman Maddie Smith share point guard duties for Hillsdale and are growing into the role. Emilia Sularski and Sydney Pnacek are both key bench players for the Chargers. Hillsdale is hoping for a strong month of February from Sarah Aleknavicius, who's made key contributions for the Chargers in the last seven games after returning from an injury and who should be an important player for the Chargers down the stretch.
 
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 NCAA Tournament in the 2024-25 season. 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

• Hillsdale has been sensational at home, with a perfect 10-0 record in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena entering the final week of the season. With both of Hillsdale's contests this weekend to close out the regular season at home, the Chargers could have a critical edge in the race to make the G-MAC Tournament and grab a top four finish and home quarterfinal game if they can continue to excel on their home floor.
• Saturday marks the final home game for seniors Emma Ruhlman and Payton Adkins, who have both been members of the team each of the last four years and have served as leaders for the program this season. Both players will be recognized in a short ceremony before the start of Saturday's contest, as well as with different promotions throughout the game.
• Ruhlman earned G-MAC Player of the Week honors on Jan. 5 after posting a 16-point, 14 rebound double-double to lead the Chargers to an upset victory over then 19^th-ranked Malone on Jan. 3. A three-year contributor and two-year starter for Hillsdale, Ruhlman has provided invaluable leadership and great 3-point shooting. As a senior, she's also become one of the top rebounders in the G-MAC, leading Hillsdale and ranking 10^th in the conference with 6.8 per game. She had back-to-back games with 15 rebounds in Hillsdale's two wins on Feb. 5 and 7, including her second career double-double in a 63-52 win over Ohio Dominican.
• Junior Savannah Smith has been one of Hillsdale's top players in the month of February, with seven double figure scoring contests in her last nine outings, including a 27 point, 12 rebound double-double in Hillsdale's home win over Ashland on Jan. 17, and 25 point efforts in wins over Tiffin on Feb. 5 and Lake Erie on Feb. 12. Now in the starting lineup after coming off the bench for the early part of the season, Smith has seen her role grow, as she ranks second on the team with 13 points per game in just 21 minutes a contest. She makes a strong post tandem with starter Ellie Bruce, who's averaging eight points, five rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in the minutes when Smith isn't on the floor.
• Annalise Pietrzyk set a new career high for the Chargers with 30 points in a big win over conference title contender Walsh on Jan. 5. She's having a phenomenal season for the Chargers, already earning one G-MAC Player of the Week honor early in the campaign. Always a sharpshooter for Hillsdale, the junior has stayed hot from deep, ranking among the G-MAC leaders in 3-point shooting percentage (35%) with 55 makes, but she's now showing the all-around development of her game, ranking seventh in the G-MAC in scoring (14.4) and 10th in assists (2.8), as a leader and tone-setter for the Chargers.
• Hillsdale sophomore Sarah Aleknavicius is making an impact now that she's returned from an injury that held her out for almost all of January, scoring eight of her 11 points against Tiffin in the final 20 seconds of regulation and overtime to lead the Chargers to victory on Feb. 5. She's scored in double figures in each of Hillsdale's last three games, a career-long streak. Her return is huge for Hillsdale, as she averages 8.1 points per game and also contributes 3.8 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game as well, while also being one of Hillsdale's best defenders.
• Hillsdale has been a prolific 3-point team in 2025-26, shooting 33.5% from 3-point range as a team to lead the G-MAC and rank 37^th nationally. Four Chargers players are shooting 35% or better from 3-point range with at least 10 makes – Pietrzyk, Aleknavicius, Ruhlman and Emilia Sularski.
• Part of the reason the Chargers are shooting so well is they're doing a great job of sharing the basketball, ranking second in the G-MAC with 14.67 assists per game. The Chargers are also second in the G-MAC with 3.67 blocks per game, and are among the G-MAC's top defenses, ranking third in opponent field goal percentage (38.9%) and giving up just 64.1 points per game.