The Hillsdale College women's basketball team locked up its fourth straight G-MAC Tournament appearance on Thursday, outscoring visiting rival Findlay 52-24 in the second half to roll to a 75-45 victory.

The Chargers blew open a game that had been 23-21 in their favor at the half with a 28-point third quarter, shooting 71.4% from the floor and going 4 of 6 from beyond the arc in the period to clinch a critical conference victory.

Annalise Pietrzyk kick-started a Chargers offense that had struggled to get traction in the first half with two quick 3-pointers coming out of halftime, and freshman Maddie Smith added a layup on the ensuing possession to give Hillsdale its first double-digit lead of the game, 31-21, with 7:39 to play. 

The Chargers continued to pour it on, with Magdalena Sularski knocking down two more 3-pointers and Savannah Smith and Ellie Bruce making big shots in the paint. Hillsdale finished the quarter up 19 points and didn't let the Oilers close the gap at all in the fourth, eventually leading by as many as 32 points late.

Hillsdale took care of the ball throughout, finishing with just eight turnovers in the game, tied for its best mark on the season, but struggled to make shots in the first half, shooting just 30% from the floor and 10% from deep. The Chargers defense was dominant throughout, however, as Findlay shot just 22.4% from the floor and 4 for 27 from 3-point range against a swarming Hillsdale unit that gave the Oilers few good looks at the basket and no room to breathe offensively.

Savannah Smith and Ellie Bruce, meanwhile, made sure the Chargers had an edge on quality shots, as Hillsdale outscored Findlay 42-22 on points in the paint with its center tandem doing most of the heavy lifting. Smith finished with a game-high 19 points for the Chargers, and Bruce added 11 off the bench. Magdalena Sularski also had an excelled game, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Emma Ruhlman chipped in six points, seven rebounds and three assists as well.

Two wing players stuffed the stat sheet with strong nights for Hillsdale as well. Sarah Aleknavicius finished with four points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks for the Chargers, while Sydney Pnacek also had a big game with four points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Hillsdale is now 15-10 overall, 11-8 in G-MAC play and can finish as high as a fourth place tie with a win in the regular season finale on Saturday, as the Chargers host the top team in the G-MAC, Northwood, for a 1 p.m. tip-off. Northwood has already clinched the G-MAC regular season title and the number one seed in next week's G-MAC Tournament, but are playing for NCAA Tournament seeding, while the Chargers are hoping to move up in the standings and claim a favorable first round matchup in the G-MAC Tourney with an upset of the Timberwolves.