Box Score

The Malone University women's basketball team suffered a 56-43 defeat in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at Tiffin University on Thursday night as the Dragons stormed back from a 34-22 second-half deficit, out-scoring the Pioneers 34-9 over the final 14 and a half minutes of the contest.

Malone (8-7 overall, 4-7 GLIAC) held a 21-17 advantage at intermission and then went on a 13-5 scoring run to open the second period.  However, Tiffin (8-7 overall, 5-6 GLIAC) immediately rattled off 12 straight points to knot the score at 34-34.  A bucket by Pioneer guard Sydnee Penn put the visitors back in front 36-34 but the Dragons responded with eight more points, grabbing their first lead of the game at 42-36.  A jumper by Malone guard Logan Pastor pulled the Pioneers to within 42-38 with five and a half minutes remaining, but that was as close as Malone would get the rest of the way

After being limited to 17 points and 21.4% (six of 28) shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes, Tiffin's offense got on track in the final stanza as the Dragons tallied 39 second-half points by connecting on 14 of 23 (60.9%) shots from the floor.  Malone, meanwhile, struggled to find the bottom of the net for much of the evening, connecting on 17 of 55 (30.9%) attempts from the field, including only two of 22 (9.1%) from beyond the three-point arc.

The Dragons also enjoyed a 43-31 edge in total rebounds and got a big lift from their reserves, out-scoring the Pioneers 24-1 in bench points.

Forward Deborah Simmers tossed in a game-high 17 points to lead the way for the Pioneers.  Penn added 12 points and five boards while forward Lindsy Snyder tossed in eight points.

Forward Jessica Harris posted a double-double for Tiffin with 14 points and 15 rebounds.  Stephanie Kelly and Jordan Fraley also reached double figures for the Dragons with 11 points apiece.

Malone will look to bounce back on Saturday when the squad travels to Columbus for a 3:00 p.m. contest against Ohio Dominican University (4-10 overall, 1-10 GLIAC).  The Malone Sports Network will provide live audio during Saturday's game at www.malonepioneers.com/showcase.  ODU will also have live video and stats available.