The Malone University women’s basketball team concluded its 2009-2010 campaign on Saturday evening with a 75-40 American Mideast Conference loss at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.  The Cougars held a 33-25 lead at intermission and then used a 23-0 scoring run early in the second half to put the contest out of reach.  With the tough defeat, the Pioneers ended the year with a record of 4-26 overall and 1-18 in the AMC.  Mt. Vernon Nazarene improved to 19-8 overall and 12-7 in the conference with the win as the Cougars will compete as the No. 5 seed in next week’s seven-team AMC Postseason Tournament. 

A made three-pointer by junior guard Ashley Speicher (pictured left; Plymouth H.S.) with 6 ½ minutes remaining in the first half gave Malone a 20-19 advantage.  Unfortunately, this would turn out to be the Pioneers' only lead of the night as MVNU outscored Malone 56-20 the rest of the way.  On the evening, Malone made 16 of 49 (32.7%) shots from the field, three of 18 (16.7%) three-pointers, and five of six (83.3%) free throws.  The Cougars countered by hitting 27 of their 60 (45.0%) attempts from the floor, four of their 17 (23.5%) tries from beyond the three-point arc and 17 of their 28 (60.7%) foul shots.  Mt. Vernon Nazarene also held a 38-32 advantage in total rebounds, forced 33 Pioneer turnovers and grabbed 18 steals.

Speicher paced Malone with eight points.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) followed with six points, seven rebounds and four assists.  Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) posted five points and seven boards while sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) notched five points with four rebounds.  Guard Sierra Fletcher led MVNU with 24 points, four assists and six steals while Cougar forward Amanda Himes recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards.

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell 73-63 to Ursuline College on Tuesday in its final home game of the season as the Arrows pulled away late, outscoring the Pioneers 9-0 over the final two minutes to record the 10-point American Mideast Conference triumph.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-25 overall and 1-17 in the AMC while Ursuline snapped a five-game losing streak, improving to 6-22 overall and 2-15 in the conference.

After falling behind 40-28 at halftime, Malone slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within one at 56-55 on a three-pointer by junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) with 6:23 remaining in the second stanza.  Ursuline immediately responded by rattling off eight unanswered points over the next minute and a half, stretching its lead back to nine at 64-55.  However, the Pioneers were able to match the Arrows' scoring run as a jumper by junior forward Alison Schloz (pictured left; St. Ursula Academy), a lay-up and two free throws by junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) and two more made foul shots by Speicher brought Malone back to within one at 64-63 with two minutes to play.  The Pioneers were unable to pull even, though, as Ursuline held Malone scoreless the rest of the way, cementing the win by hitting all six of its free throws during the final 30 seconds of the contest.

Both teams struggled to take care of the basketball throughout the evening as the Pioneers committed 26 turnovers compared to 24 miscues for the Arrows.  Ursuline shot the ball well over the course of the game, connecting on 27 of its 52 (51.9%) field goal attempts, five of its 17 (29.4%) threes and 14 of its 16 (87.5%) free throws.  Malone countered by converting on 21 of 56 (37.5%) shots from the floor, seven of 21 (33.3%) three-pointers and 14 of 18 (77.8%) foul shots.  The Pioneers held a slim 32-30 advantage in total rebounds but were outscored by a 30-16 margin in the paint. 

Schloz came off the bench to toss in a team-high 16 points and pull down six rebounds.  Speicher hit four of her six three-point attempts, ending the night with 14 points.  Wilson added nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) posted eight points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals while senior student assistant coach Bree Zehnder (Garaway H.S.) started the game and totaled two points, two assists and a steal in just 12 minutes of action (Zehnder played for the Pioneers for 2 ½ seasons before a back injury during her junior year brought her playing career to a close).  Guard Brittany Nair paced Ursuline with a game-high 28 points while forward Chelsea Ciptak notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.

Malone will conclude its 2009-2010 campaign on Saturday when it travels to Mt. Vernon Nazarene University (17-7 overall, 10-6 AMC) for a 5:30 p.m. AMC contest against the Cougars. 

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell 83-54 on the road to Point Park (PA) University in American Mideast Conference play on Saturday afternoon after being outscored 46-19 through the first 20 minutes of play.  Point Park pulled away early by forcing 16 first-half turnovers and allowing Malone to make just six of 21 (28.6%) field-goal attempts during the opening stanza.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-24 overall and 1-16 in the AMC while Point Park improved to 13-11 overall and 9-7 in the conference.

After struggling to get its offense on track in the first half, Malone was able to sink 12 of its 27 (44.4%) shots from the floor in the second period to end the day with an overall shooting percentage of 37.5% (18 of 48).  The visitors also hit five of 20 (25.0%) three-pointers and 13 of 17 (76.5%) free throws over the course of the afternoon.  Point Park countered by making 31 of 71 (43.7%) field goal attempts, 10 of 31 (32.3%) three-pointers and 11 of 20 (55.0%) foul shots.  The hosts also held a slim 39-36 advantage in total rebounds and scored 31 points off Malone turnovers.

Junior guard Ashley Speicher (pictured above; Plymouth H.S.) scored 10 points to pace Malone.  Sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.), junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) and freshman guard Cindy Netti (Lake H.S.) all followed with eight points apiece while junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.  Guard Ashley Henderson led the way for Point Park with 21 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Malone returns to action on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts Ursuline College (5-22 overall, 1-15 AMC) its final home contest of the season.

The Malone University women’s basketball team fell at home to local rival Walsh University on Tuesday evening as the Cavaliers shot over 60% from the field in the first half, outscoring the Pioneers 46-26 over the first 20 minutes en route to a 90-59 American Mideast Conference victory.  The loss dropped Malone’s record to 4-23 overall and 1-15 in the AMC while the Cavaliers, who were ranked 22nd in the most recent NAIA Division II National Poll, picked up their third win in a row, improving to 19-7 overall and 12-3 in the conference.   

After falling behind 14-7 in the early going, the Pioneers scored six unanswered points to trim the deficit to 14-13 seven minutes into the game.  Malone was unable to pull even, however, as Walsh outscored the Pioneers 32-13 over the remainder of the stanza to take a commanding 20-point advantage to the locker room at halftime.  The Cavaliers then maintained their double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the contest.

Both teams struggled to take care of the basketball throughout the evening as the squads combined for a total of 49 turnovers (26 for Malone, 23 for Walsh).  The Cavaliers held a 34-23 advantage on the boards, grabbed 17 steals, and outscored Malone by a 44-24 margin in the paint.  Walsh ended the night having made 37 of 62 (59.7%) shots from the field, seven of 16 (43.8%) threes and nine of 10 (90.0%) free throws.  The Pioneers, meanwhile, hit 21 of 53 (39.6%) field goal tries, five of 20 (25.0%) three-pointers and 12 of 14 (85.7%) foul shots.

Junior guard Allyson Wilson (pictured above; Firestone H.S.) led the way for Malone with 16 points, seven rebounds and three steals.  Sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) followed with 12 points and six steals.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) posted nine points, six rebounds, and four assists while freshman guard Cindy Netti (Lake H.S.) came off the bench to tally eight points.  Forward Jessie Miller paced Walsh, scoring 21 of her game-high 27 points in the first half.

The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a 2:00 p.m. AMC contest against Point Park University (11-11 overall, 7-7 AMC).

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).