Box score


January 6, 2011 – Make it twice in a row the Hillsdale College women’s basketball team has gone on the road, in the state of Ohio, and pulled off an improbable comeback win over a GLIAC South Division opponent.

In the team’s last game, Dec. 19 at Ashland, the Chargers came back from a 23-point second-half deficit to beat the Eagles 80-77. Thursday night, in Columbus against Ohio Dominican in a much lower scoring game, the Chargers came away with an equally unlikely victory, 61-57, over the Panthers. Hillsdale is now 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC, and continues its road trip through Ohio Saturday afternoon when it takes on Tiffin University starting at 3 p.m.

This latest comeback didn’t even occur in the second half, as the Chargers played their first overtime game in nearly one calendar year. The two teams were knotted up at 52-52 at the end of regulation, but the Panthers got the upper hand early in the extra session, taking a 57-52 lead with 2:57 left in overtime. But that would be the last time they would put a ball through the basket, as Hillsdale played with focus and heart at both ends of the court, refusing to go down in defeat.

The comeback started with two made free throws by junior forward Elizabeth Brannick, who made her first career start for the Chargers. On the next possession, junior guard Chelsea Harrison converted a layup to make it a one-point game, 57-56, with 1:31 left to play. Harrison, the second-leading scorer in the GLIAC, then made the shot of the game with a 3-pointer to push Hillsdale ahead, 59-57, with 48 seconds left in the game.

After a fourth consecutive defensive stop, Hillsdale regained possession of the ball, forcing Ohio Dominican to foul. Freshman Marissa DeMott, who made two second-half 3-pointers in the game, coolly drained both free throws with 14 seconds to play, putting the Chargers ahead by four, and creating a two-possession game. The Panthers had two shots at the basket in their final possession, but could not finish, giving Hillsdale the win.

Neither team shot well in the game, the Chargers shooting 32 percent compared to 31 percent shooting for the Panthers. ODU’s defense forced Hillsdale into 15 first-half turnovers, but the Chargers did an outstanding job of protecting the ball in the second half and overtime, committing just four turnovers in the game’s final 25 minutes. The Chargers also shot 81 percent from the free throw line, and outscored the Panthers by 13 in that category.

Senior forward Laura Barczak had her second straight 20-point ballgame, leading the team with 20 points and nine rebounds. Harrison scored 19 and had six boards while making three 3-point shots. DeMott finished with nine points, while Brannick played a season-high 25 minutes, and had four points, four rebounds and two steals.