February 6, 2008 - The final two-game road trip of the regular season awaits the Hillsdale College men's and women's basketball teams this weekend. The Chargers will head for Erie, Pa., where they face games at Gannon (Thursday, 6/8 p.m.) and Mercyhurst (Saturday, 1/3 p.m.).

This marks the first away games for either team since Jan. 20. Since then, they have played at home for two straight weeks, and got some notable performances from players during that span.

WOMEN'S PREVIEW
Few teams in the GLIAC are on the roll th Charger women are on right now. Hillsdale has won five straight and nine of its past 10 games, dating back to Dec. 20.

A part of that run has been the terrific play of junior forward Katie Cezat, who is rapidly rewriting the Charger record book. She has broken four school records since Jan. 26, setting new marks for points, rebounds, free throws attempted and made in a single game since then.

Her 34 points helped lead Hillsdale to its first win over Grand Valley in five years on Jan. 31. She followed that up with a 42-point explosion vs. Wayne State on Feb. 2. Cezat is second in the nation in scoring and fourth in rebounding, and has been named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week three weeks in a row.

Cezat's29 blocked shots have also tied the single-season school record, held by Caitlin Kennedy and set in the 2002-03 season. She has crept into the school's single-season top 10 lists for scoring and rebounding already.

The Chargers are 17-3 overall and 10-2 in the GLIAC, and hold a substantial lead in the South Division. Hillsdale's 17 wins in 20 games ties the 2002-03 team for the best 20-game record in the program's history.

Hillsdale shook off a four-game losing streak to Gannon with a 61-54 win over the Golden Knights at home on Jan. 26. In that game, Cezat set a school record with 25 rebounds, to go along with 24 points. Gannon and Hillsdale have developed a competitive rivalry in women's basketball, with the two teams meeting in the GLIAC Tournament each of the past three years. Gannon has eliminated Hillsdale from the playoffs in each of those meetings. The Golden Knights handed Hillsdale its most lopsided loss of the 2006-07 season in the teams' last regular season meeting in Erie, back on Feb. 8, 2007.

But this year's Charger team has enjoyed an excellent campaign, and there's been much more to the team's 17-3 mark than Cezat's fine play. Sophomore guard Brooke Knight has been a terrific leader on the court from her point guard position. She handles the ball well against pressure, and has shown durability and smarts in the team's games. She is in the top five in the GLIAC in both minutes played and assists. She's also the only Charger to record double-digit numbers in points, rebounds and assists in a game this season.

Knight's 112 assists this season rank her eighth on Hillsdale's single-season top-10 list, and she only needs eight more helpers to get into fifth place on the all-time list.

Senior Julie Slot is the team's second-leading scorer, and one of its top 3-point shooters. Sophomore guard Janay Miller is growing more confident in her offensive game, having scored in double figures in four of her last five games. Her shooting ability and athleticism are huge assets for the Chargers.

Hillsdale has won 16 straight meetings with Mercyhurst, its Saturday afternoon opponent. The Chargers defeated the Lakers 71-37 back on Jan. 24. In last year's meeting in Mercyhurst, the Lakers pushed the Chargers hard before losing, 67-65.

Two wins this weekend could clinch a GLIAC Tournament spot for the Chargers, and put them much closer to a South Division championship. After Saturday, Hillsdale will have three conference games left, with two of them - vs. Ferris State and Findlay - coming at home.

MEN'S PREVIEW
The Charger men are coming off one of their most satisfying wins of the season, a 20-point victory at home over Wayne State Saturday afternoon. Hillsdale will try to carry that momentum in a tough two-game, one-city trip to Erie when they travel to Gannon and Mercyhurst.

Hillsdale lost both initial meetings of this season to those teams. The 59-58 loss to the Lakers on Jan. 24 was as strange as it was gut-wrenching. Mercyhurst made one free throw with no time left to break the tie and take home the victory. A foul was called after a last-second 3-point attempt by Hillsdale's Keith MacKenzie was blocked out to midcourt. That play came shortly after a etchnical foul was called on Mercyhurst's bench, and the Chargers making a furious comeback from an eight-point deficit in the game's last two minutes.

The Chargers will open the trip with a stiff test at No. 15 Gannon Thursday night. The Golden Knights have risen from last place in the GLIAC South to second this season, and feature a tough, athletic lineup. Gannon defeated Hillsdale 80-75 in a competitive contest at Jesse Philips Arena Jan. 26.

The Chargers went 2-1 in a three-game homestand last week, that included wins over Tiffin and Wayne State and a loss to No. 2-ranked Grand Valley. Junior center Tony Gugino was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday. He averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds per game during those three games, highlighted by a career-high 41-point performance vs. Wayne State. It was the second 40-point game by a Hillsdale men's player this season, with Tim Homan's 40 vs. Saginaw Valley on Dec. 8 being the first. No Hillsdale men's player had scored 40 or more in a game in the previous 12 years.

Click on the links below for more information on this weekend's Hillsdale opponents. All live stats, radio and webcasting information can be found on those schools' websites.


Gannon men's basketball

Gannon women's basketball

Mercyhurst men's basketball

Mercyhurst women's basketball