If Hillsdale College women’s basketball head coach Todd Mitmesser was worried about a learning curve in implementing his up-tempo and aggressive game strategy, then early widespread scoring shows that his team has passed the test.
The Chargers presented a strong, unified force against Illinois-Springfield and McKendree Friday and Saturday, as the Chargers opened the season 2-0 in their first games under their new head coach.
“We did a really good job of replicating in games what we’ve been working on in practice,” Mitmesser said. “It’s a style of play that looks uncomplicated, but it’s actually very complicated. We have much learning to do in order to fully understand what we’re doing.”
Frequent substitutions and quick transitions allowed almost every player on the Chargers’ roster to score in each game. On defense, the Chargers recorded 32 total steals, which led to fast break scoring opportunities that wore down their opponents.
On Friday, the Chargers defeated Illinois-Springfield 75-57 in a balanced effort as 12 players saw over 10 minutes of playing time. The Chargers often substituted all five players to wear out a thinner Prairie Star bench.
“In our first game, coach Mitt really stressed running the floor, because we have a really big team,” freshman Makenna Ott said. “You’ll be in there for two minutes and then someone else will come in, because we need someone else to run. That’s our main goal. We just tire the other team out.”
Ott scored 18 points and posted 8 rebounds in her first game as a Charger. According to Mitmesser, Ott’s versatility was more notable than her impressive individual numbers. Ott made six of her eight free throw attempts, and she also scored on fast breaks and from outside the three-point line.
Ott wasn’t the only freshman to contribute. All three freshmen on the roster scored in their first collegiate game.
This widespread scoring front feeds into the Chargers’ new, fast-paced game strategy, Mitmesser said.
“We’re looking to score any way we can,” Mitmesser said. “We’re looking to attack the basket and get the easiest shot we can, but many teams are coached to not let you do that and give up threes, so we’re going to shoot every open three.”
The Chargers kept up their unified attack in Saturday’s victory over McKendree, as the Chargers posted 43 points from the bench in a 71-59 victory.
Senior Kayla Geffert, who was voted Preseason Second-Team All-GLIAC in the North Division, came out fast, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. Geffert said that the team’s strength lies in their depth as every player can put up points.
Seniors Kelsey Cromer and Sarah Theut also played well, scoring in double digits.
“We have so many people working together,” Geffert said.
With this deep lineup, the Chargers have the potential to have a different leading scorer every game, Ott said.
“It’s really hard for other teams to scout us when we play so many players,” Geffert said. “Everyone’s scoring, everyone’s contributing, so you really can’t focus on one or two people, you need to focus on the whole team.”
Mitmesser said substitutions keep players fresh, which improves shooting accuracy.
The Chargers also took advantage of NCAA rule changes in free-throw shooting. Games are now divided into quarters instead of halves, and teams shoot two free throws after their opponent commits five team fouls in each quarter.
“It’s a big advantage for us if we can keep from fouling,” Geffert said. “Our second game, both teams got in foul trouble, but it allowed us to get more free throws up.”
Mitmesser said the rule changes slowed down the Chargers’ aggressive pace in the third quarter against McKendree.
“The foul shots slowed the pace down, so the game wasn’t at our tempo for much of the third quarter, because we got into team foul trouble,” Mitmesser said.
On Tuesday, the Chargers played an exhibition game in Ypsilanti against Eastern Michigan University, a Division I team favored to win the Mid-American Conference West Division. Because the teams belong to separate divisions, the 94-77 loss doesn’t count against Hillsdale’s record.
As the Chargers prepare to face Oakland and Mercyhurst on Nov. 27 and 28 in a tournament in Rensselaer, Indiana, Mitmesser said the team will continue to enforce an already impressive offensive and defensive attack.
“We’re starting to figure out that we don’t have to run plays as much as know how to play,” Mitmesser said. “We’ll watch a lot of film on the first three games and try to teach players some of the finer points, so they can better understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.”