Box Score

A strong second-half rally by the Malone University women's basketball team fell just short on Saturday afternoon as the Pioneers dropped their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Wayne State (MI) University by a final tally of 69-62.

The Warriors (9-1 overall, 6-0 GLIAC) used a quick 11-2 scoring run to grab an 18-7 advantage midway through the first half.  The Pioneers (7-5, 2-4 GLIAC) would keep things close throughout the remainder of the game, but Wayne State managed to hold on to at least a one-point edge throughout the remainder of the contest, extending its winning streak to eight in a row with the seven-point triumph.

A 10-2 Malone surge trimmed the Pioneers' early deficit to 20-17. However, Wayne State then outscored the visitors 13-7 over the remainder of the opening period to take a 33-24 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The Warrior advantage ballooned to 42-29 in the early stages of the second half before the Pioneers stormed back with a 15-5 scoring run that sliced the margin to 47-44 with just over 10 minutes to play.

Malone would then pull within one point on five different occasions in the latter part of the second half, but each time the Warriors found a way to answer, never giving up the lead.  The final one-point margin came with three minutes remaining when a jumper by guard Selana Reale made the score 59-58.  Unfortunately for the visitors, their next basket would not come until over two minutes later as Wayne State put the contest out of reach by outscoring Malone 10-4 the rest of the way.

The Pioneers struggled to get on track offensively at times during Saturday's contest, ending the afternoon having made 23 of 60 (38.3%) field goals and five of 21 (23.8%) three-pointers.  The Warriors countered by sinking 21 of 47 (44.7%) shots from the floor and four of 11 (36.4%) treys.  Although each team shot the ball well at the foul line, WSU had double the attempts as the hosts made 23 of their 26 (88.5%) tries from the charity stripe while Malone connected on 11 of its 13 (84.6%) free throws.

The Warriors committed a total of 21 turnovers but also held a 36-31 edge in total rebounds and grabbed 12 steals. 

Guard Deborah Simmers led the way for the Pioneers with 13 points and four assists.  Guard Sydnee Penn added 11 points while guard Selana Reale posted 10 points and six rebounds.  Before fouling out, forward Tara Schaffter contributed nine points and three blocks off the bench.  Guard Logan Pastor pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Center Shareta Brown had a big day for the Warriors with 27 points, nine rebounds and four steals.  Forward Imari Redfield added 14 points and six boards.

After spending nearly their entire Christmas Break away from Osborne Hall, the Pioneers will return home next Thursday (Dec. 9) to host a 6:00 p.m. contest vs. Ferris State (MI) University (3-5 overall, 3-3 GLIAC).  Live statistics will be provided during the game at http://livestats.prestosports.com/malone/