The Malone University women’s basketball team fell 69-62 at home to Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College in American Mideast Conference play on Saturday afternoon as the Raiders used a 21-4 scoring run in the opening minutes of the second stanza to overcome a 33-25 halftime deficit.  Pioneer guard Amy Kittle (pictured left; Jr., Buckeye Trail H.S.) nailed a three-pointer on Malone’s opening possession of the final stanza to give the hosts their largest lead of the game at 36-25.  However, Roberts Wesleyan then stormed back into the contest, using its big scoring spurt to pull in front 46-40 with 10:42 remaining.  The Pioneers managed to keep the game close the rest of the way, twice cutting the deficit to three, but Malone was unable to completely recover from the Raiders’ big surge as Roberts Wesleyan went on to record the six-point triumph.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-22 overall and 1-14 in the conference while the Raiders improved to 12-13 overall and 6-9 in the AMC.

After making just 24.1% (seven of 29) of its first-half field goals, Roberts Wesleyan got its offense on track in the second stanza, hitting 43.8% (14 of 32) of its shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes to end the game with an overall shooting percentage of 34.4% (21 of 61).  The Raiders also shot 28.6% (six of 21) from three-point range and 70.0% (21 of 30) from the foul line over the course of the afternoon.  Malone countered by knocking down 22 of 63 (34.9%) shots from the field, seven of 23 (30.4%) threes, and 11 of 17 (64.7%) foul shots.  Roberts Wesleyan trailed 46-42 in total rebounds but also scored 20 points off 18 Pioneer turnovers.

Kittle ended the night with 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.  Junior forward Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) followed with 12 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, and three assists.  Freshman forward Tara Kies (Cloverleaf H.S.) added nine points while sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) contributed eight points, six boards, and three steals.  Roberts Wesleyan was led by guard Marissa Bunce, who scored 22 of her game-high 28 points in the second half.

The Pioneers will look to rebound on Tuesday evening when they host a 5:30 p.m. contest against NAIA Division II #24 Walsh University (18-7 overall, 11-3 AMC).  Free live streaming video and statistics will be available over the internet for Tuesday’s game (click here for links to each).    

The Malone University women’s basketball team went on a 24-6 scoring run in the latter stages of Friday’s home contest against Daemen (NY) College but the Pioneers’ late surge was not enough to overcome the Wildcats’ 25-point second-half advantage as the visitors went on to record an 83-69 American Mideast Conference victory.  Daemen was up 43-29 at the half and then stretched its lead to what appeared to be a commanding 68-43 margin with 9:19 remaining.  However, Malone refused to surrender, fighting back to within 74-67 with a little over two minutes to play before the Wildcats put the contest out of reach by hitting nine of their final 10 free throws.  Daemen improved to 13-10 overall and 9-4 in the AMC with the victory while the loss dropped the Pioneers to 4-21 overall and 1-13 in the conference.

On the evening, Malone connected on 26 of 64 (40.6%) field-goal attempts, six of 15 (40.0%) three-pointers, and all 11 of its free throws.  Daemen countered by converting on 28 of 56 (50%) shots from the floor, six of 18 (33.3%) threes and 21 of 24 (87.5%) foul shots.  The Wildcats also out-scored Malone 42-24 in the paint and held a 38-27 advantage in total rebounds. 

Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with 15 points and four assists.  Junior guards Allyson Wilson (pictured above; Firestone H.S.) and Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) each followed with 14 points and three steals.  Wilson also pulled down seven rebounds and, with two made free throws just before halftime, moved into the Top 25 on the Malone women’s basketball all-time scoring list.  Wilson has now registered 813 career points, which ranks as the 24th highest scoring total in Pioneer women’s history.

Other Pioneer contributors included sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.), freshman forward Tara Kies (Cloverleaf H.S.) and junior forward Alison Schloz (St. Ursula Academy), who all posted eight points apiece.  Forward Sarah Soroka paced Daemen with 22 points and eight boards.

Malone will return to action on Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 p.m. home contest against Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College (11-13 overall, 5-9 AMC).  Free live streaming video and statistics will be available over the internet for Saturday’s game (click here for links to each). 

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell at home on Tuesday evening to Notre Dame (OH) College as the visiting Falcons outscored the Pioneers 39-20 in the second half to pull away for a 73-54 American Mideast Conference victory.  The contest was knotted 34-34 at intermission before Notre Dame went on a 18-0 scoring run midway through the final stanza to put the game out of reach.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-20 overall and 1-12 in the AMC while the Falcons improved to 14-8 overall and 10-4 in the conference.

The Pioneers fell behind 26-13 midway through the opening frame but then fought back into the game by outscoring NDC 21-8 over the final eight minutes of the half.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) opened the second period by hitting a pair of free throws to put Malone in front by two but Notre Dame quickly answered back, notching 10 straight points to grab a 44-36 lead.  A jumper by junior forward Alison Schloz (St. Ursula Academy) pulled Malone to within five at 48-43 with 12:49 to play.  However, it was all Falcons the rest of the way as Notre Dame secured the victory by rattling off its 18 unanswered points.

After making 43.8% (14 of 32) of its first-half field-goal attempts, Malone struggled to get its offense on track in the second stanza, hitting only 29.6% (eight of 27) of its shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes to end the night with an overall shooting percentage of 37.3% (22 of 59).  The Pioneers also connected on six of 18 (33.3%) three-pointers and four of eight (50.0%) free throws over the course of the evening.  Notre Dame countered by knocking down 49.2% (30 of 61) of its shots from the field, 37.5% (six of 16) of its tries from beyond the three-point arc and 63.6% (seven of 11) of its attempts from the charity stripe.  Malone held a 36-34 advantage in total rebounds but also committed 18 turnovers that led to 21 Falcon points. 

Four minutes into the contest, junior guard Allyson Wilson (pictured above; Firestone H.S.) pulled down her first rebound of the night to become the 15th player in Malone women’s basketball history to reach 500 career boards.  Wilson finished the evening with a game-high 10 rebounds and now ranks 15th on the Pioneers’ all-time list with a total of 509 for her career. 

Freshman guard Cindy Netti (Lake H.S.) paced Malone with a season-high 12 points.  Freshman forward Tara Kies (Cloverleaf H.S.) followed with nine points while Schloz came off the bench to contribute eight points and eight rebounds.  Forward Kealy McNally led the way for Notre Dame with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Pioneers will look to bounce back on Friday when they host a 5:30 p.m. AMC contest against Daemen (NY) College (12-10 overall, 8-4 AMC).  Free live streaming video and statistics will be available over the internet for Friday’s game (click here for links to each). 

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell 73-65 at home to Wilberforce University in American Mideast Conference play on Saturday afternoon as the visiting Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 17-4 over the final four and half minutes to register a come-from-behind victory.  A made jumper by sophomore guard Tyler Darland (Lakota East H.S.) with 4:51 showing on the second-half clock put Malone in front 61-56, but the Pioneers managed just two buckets the rest of the way en route to the tough defeat.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-19 overall and 1-11 in the AMC while Wilberforce improved to 5-16 overall and 3-11 in the conference.

Saturday’s contest remained close throughout, featuring seven ties and eight lead changes.  The Pioneers jumped out to an 18-7 advantage but Wilberforce quickly fought back into the game with a 10-0 scoring run.  The Bulldogs led 36-33 at the half before a 7-0 Malone spurt early in the second period put the Pioneers back on top, 45-42.  Malone was unable to pull away, though, as Wilberforce rallied back in the final minutes.  The Pioneers connected on 27 of 64 (42.2%) shots from the field, six of 20 (30.0%) three-pointers and five of eight (62.5%) free throws over the course of the afternoon.  However, the hosts also committed 25 turnovers that led to 27 Bulldog points.  Wilberforce grabbed 13 steals, held a slim 48-45 advantage in total rebounds and made 38.0% (30 of 79) of its field-goal attempts, 17.6% (three of 17) of its threes and 62.5% (10 of 16) free throws.

Junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) led the way for Malone with 15 points.  Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) followed closely with 14 points and eight rebounds.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) also posted 14 points while sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (pictured above; Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Also making substantial contributions was freshman forward Tara Kies (Cloverleaf H.S.) with seven points and nine boards.  Wilberforce was paced by guard Deidra Brown with 16 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Pioneers will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they continue AMC play with a 5:30 p.m. contest against Notre Dame College (13-8 overall, 9-4 AMC).  Free live streaming video and statistics will be available over the internet for Tuesday’s game (click here for links to each). 

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell at home to American Mideast Conference foe Houghton (NY) College on Tuesday evening by a final score of 79-61 as the Highlanders pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers by a 44-29 margin over the final 20 minutes.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-18 overall and 1-10 in the AMC while Houghton improved to 12-6 overall and 7-4 in the conference.

Malone used a 10-1 scoring run midway through the final period to trim a 17-point Houghton lead to just eight at 63-55 with six minutes remaining.  However, the Pioneers were unable to get any closer the rest of the way as the Highlanders quickly pushed their advantage back to double digits.  Houghton dominated inside for much of the game, holding a 47-32 advantage in total rebounds while outscoring Malone 42-18 in the paint.  On the evening, the visitors made 31 of 71 (43.7%) shots from the field, seven of 17 (41.2%) three-pointers, and 10 of 18 (55.6%) foul shots.  Malone countered by connecting on 22 of 55 (40.0%) field-goal tries, nine of 22 (40.9%) threes, and eight of 13 (61.5%) free throws.

Junior point guard Allyson Wilson (pictured above; Firestone H.S.) led the way for Malone with 20 points (9-16 FG, 1-2 3PT FG, 1-3 FT) and 17 rebounds.  Freshman forward Tara Kies (Cloverleaf H.S.) followed with 18 points off the bench after splitting a pair of free throws and hitting six of seven shots from the field, including all five of her tries from beyond the three-point arc.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) posted eight points while sophomore guard Tyler Darland (Lakota East H.S.) chipped in with seven points.  Center Ashley Dupler paced Houghton with 28 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Malone will return to action on Saturday when it hosts a 2:00 p.m. American Mideast Conference contest against Wilberforce University (4-15 overall, 2-10 AMC).  Free live streaming video and statistics will be available over the internet for Saturday’s game (click here for links to each).