Malone Opens Season With Overtime Victory At Ursuline

The Malone University women’s basketball team, led by seventh-year head coach Lori Wynn, began its 2009-2010 season on Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 77-73 overtime victory at Ursuline College.  The Pioneers held the Arrows to just 35.2% shooting (25 of 71) from the field and enjoyed a substantial 56-36 advantage in total rebounds.  Malone used a late 6-0 scoring run to take a 70-67 lead with under a minute to play in regulation but Ursuline then drained a three-pointer to send the contest to overtime deadlocked at 70-70.  Neither team scored from the field in the extra period as the Pioneers edged the Arrows 7-3 at the free throw line to record the four-point triumph. 

The contest remained close throughout as neither team enjoyed more than a six-point advantage.  Malone knocked down 40.3% (25 of 62) of its field-goal tries over the course of the game, including seven of 17 (41.2%) attempts from beyond the three-point line.  The Pioneers turned the ball over 26 times but also took 35 free throws, making 20 (57.1%).

Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) tossed in a team-high 18 points to go with nine rebounds.  Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) finished three assists shy of a triple-double as she tallied 15 points, 12 boards and seven assists.  Junior forward Alison Schloz (St. Ursula Academy) added 13 points off the bench while sophomore guard Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) registered eight points with 11 rebounds and four steals.

Malone will return to action on Tuesday when it takes on local rival Walsh University in the 14th annual Mayors’ Cup game.   The all-time series between the two teams is knotted at 31-31 as Walsh has won the last four meetings.  The Cavaliers have also claimed two straight Mayors’ Cup contests although the Pioneers still hold a 7-6 lead in the Mayors’ Cup series.  Tuesday’s contest will be held at Walsh with tip-off slated for 8:00 p.m.

Walsh Pulls Away From Pioneers For 86-54 Mayors’ Cup Victory

The Malone University women’s basketball team suffered an 86-54 defeat on Tuesday evening in the 14th annual Mayors’ Cup game at Walsh University.  The host Cavaliers held a commanding 45-19 lead at intermission and then stretched their advantage to as many as 42 points in the second half as they pulled away to claim the Mayors’ Cup Trophy for the third consecutive year while evening up the all-time Mayors’ Cup series at seven wins apiece.  Walsh’s overall record improved to 3-0 on the season with the non-conference victory while the Pioneers dropped to 1-1.

The Cavaliers clamped down on the defensive end throughout the rivalry game, forcing 31 Malone turnovers while limiting the Pioneers to just 36.4% (20 of 55) shooting from the field, including 28.6% (six of 21) accuracy from three-point range.  Malone held a 34-30 advantage in total rebounds but made only eight of 16 (50%) free throws.  Walsh, meanwhile, knocked down nearly 60% (34 of 58) of its field-goal attempts, hit two of nine (22.2%) three-pointers, and connected on 16 of 17 (94.1%) tries from the charity stripe.

Guards Ashley Speicher (pictured to the left; Jr., Plymouth H.S.), Amy Kittle (Jr., Buckeye Trail H.S.), Tyler Darland (So., Lakota East H.S.), and Cindy Netti (Fr., Lake H.S.) all posted seven points apiece for Malone.  In addition to their offensive output, Kittle also grabbed six rebounds and Netti snagged three steals.

Walsh had four players score in double figures, led by center Cara Bedard with 19 points.

The Pioneers will look to bounce back over the weekend when they travel to Cedarville, Ohio to compete in two games at the Cedarville University Classic.  On Friday, Malone will take on the host Yellow Jackets (0-0 overall), who were ranked 11th in the NAIA Division II Preseason National Poll, at 7:30 p.m.  The Pioneers will then wrap up the weekend by facing Wilberforce University (1-2 overall) on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Notes:  Following Tuesday’s game, Walsh now holds a 32-31 lead in the all-time series with Malone…The third consecutive Mayors’ Cup win allowed the Cavaliers to “retire” the Cup for the first time in the history of the series…Malone has twice retired the Cup, having won three straight Mayors’ Cup games from 1999-2001 and 2005-2007.

Malone Opens Play At Cedarville Classic With 103-50 Loss To Host Yellow Jackets

The Malone University women’s basketball team suffered a 103-50 non-conference defeat at the Cedarville University Classic on Friday evening as the host Yellow Jackets, who were ranked 11th in the NAIA Division II Preseason Women’s Basketball Poll, pulled out to 20-5 lead and never looked back en route to the convincing victory.  In its season opener, Cedarville shot over 60% from the field, held a 42-20 advantage in total rebounds, and forced 28 Pioneer turnovers.

Malone, now 1-2 on the season, shot 41.3% (19 of 46) on the evening, hit four of 14 (28.6%) three-pointers while knocking down eight of 15 (53.3%) attempts from the foul line.  Cedarville countered by connecting on 44 of 73 (60.3%) shots from the field, five of 16 (31.3%) three-point attempts and 10 of 12 free throws (83.3%). 

Junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with 12 points, three assists and one block.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) and junior forward Alison Schloz (St. Ursula Academy) each followed with eight points and three rebounds apiece while sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) and freshman guard Cindy Netti (Lake H.S.) each finished with seven points.

Cedarville forward Lydia Miller tossed in 22 points to pace five Yellow Jackets in double figures. 

Malone continues play at the Cedarville Classic on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. contest against Wilberforce University (1-3 overall).

Pioneers Conclude Play At Cedarville Classic With 73-63 Victory Over Wilberforce

The Malone University women’s basketball team wrapped up play at the Cedarville University Classic on Saturday afternoon with a 73-63 non-conference win against Wilberforce University.  The Pioneers closed out the first half on a 12-4 run to take a 45-35 lead into the locker room at intermission.  Malone then stretched its advantage to as many as 19 points in the second frame as it pulled away for the victory.  The Pioneers’ overall record improved to 2-2 with the 10-point triumph while the Bulldogs fell to 1-4.

Wilberforce jumped out to a 7-6 lead in the opening moments of Saturday’s neutral contest before Pioneer guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) tossed in six unanswered points to put her squad on top 12-7.  Malone would then not relinquish its lead over the remainder of the contest as it went on to shoot a season-high 45.1% (23 of 51) from the field while allowing Wilberforce to convert on just 25 of 74 (33.8%) field-goal attempts, including only three of 20 (15.0%) three-point tries. 

Kittle led all scorers with 20 points (6-16 FG, 0-3 3PT FG, 8-9 FT) to go with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.  Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) followed with 18 points and six rebounds while junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) and sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) each posted eight points apiece.

Center Deidra Brown led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points while forward Mohogany Williams came off the bench to post a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Following its 1-1 weekend at the Cedarville Classic, Malone will return to action on Tuesday as it hosts its home opener at 7:00 p.m. against NCAA Division II Ohio Valley University (0-0 overall).

Malone Unable To Overcome First-Half Shooting Struggles In 65-57 Loss To Ohio Valley

The Malone University women’s basketball team suffered a 65-57 non-conference loss in its home opener against NCAA Division II Ohio Valley University on Tuesday evening.  The Pioneers never led in the contest as the hosts trailed 33-22 at halftime after connecting on just four of their 24 (16.7%) shots from the field over the first 20 minutes of play.  Malone’s offense got on track in the second period as the squad used a late 9-0 scoring run to trim a 15-point Fighting Scot advantage to just 56-50 with 3:39 remaining in the contest.  However, the Pioneers were unable to get any closer over the remainder of the game as OVU brought the Malone scoring spurt to an end with a lay-up and then converted on five of six free throws down the stretch to cement the eight-point victory.  The loss dropped the Pioneers’ overall record to 2-3 on the season while Ohio Valley moved to 1-0 with the win in its season opener.

Malone knocked down 10 of 27 (37.0%) field-goal attempts in the second half to end the game with an overall shooting percentage of 27.5% (14 of 51).  Despite their struggles from the field, the Pioneers were red hot from the foul line as the squad sank 27 of 30 (90.0%) free throws.  Ohio Valley converted on 38.1% (24 of 63) of its field-goal tries over the course of the evening, including seven of 23 (30.4%) three-pointers.  Like Malone, the Fighting Scots also took advantage of their trips to charity stripe, converting on 10 of 13 (76.9%) foul shots.  OVU enjoyed a 42-36 advantage in total rebounds and forced 21 Malone turnovers.

Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with a season-high 21 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 3PT FG, 8-10 FT) and 12 rebounds.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) and sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) each followed with 14 points apiece with Anatra also contributing six rebounds and four steals.

Center Kendra Benedict paced Ohio Valley with 27 points (11-17 FG, 5-7 FT), 12 boards, three steals and two blocks.

Malone will look to bounce back on Saturday at home as it faces off with former American Mideast Conference member Ohio Dominican University at 2:00 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on WNPQ 95.9 FM and on the internet at www.thelight959.com.  Live statistics will also be available on the internet at http://multimedia.malone.edu/athletics/basketball/womens/xlive.htm.