Box Score

The Malone University women's basketball team (15-7 overall, 10-6 GLIAC) got back to their winning ways while hosting Lake Erie College (9-13 overall, 4-12 GLIAC) on Thursday in Osborne Hall, as they rolled through the Storm 82-62 in an impressive home victory.

Early in the contest, the game looked to be close as both teams went back and forth with neither squad going on a long run. At the intermission, the Pioneers led 31-27. Malone dominated the paint in the first stanza, scoring 16 first-half points down low and controlling the boards 22-17. The Storm converted 13 first-half Pioneer turnovers into 17 points, which helped them stay in the game.

During second half play, Malone made runs that helped them pull away and gain a comfortable lead that would prove to be too much for the opposition to overcome.  Leading 39-37 with 14:41 left on the clock, the Pioneers went on a 10-0 run to stretch their lead to 49-37. Minutes later, leading 51-40, Malone pulled off another run, this one being 13-4, and the gap was stretched to 20 points at 64-44 with 8:50 remaining. The Pioneers never looked back and finished the game with the same 20-point margin, with an 82-62 victory.

Guard Deborah Simmers led the Pioneers with 16 points to go along with six rebounds. Guard Selana Reale added 12 points and dished the ball out well with a team-high eight assists. Guard Logan Pastor had an all-around night with seven points, seven rebounds and six assists. Guard Lauren Myers was a spark off the bench scoring eight points.

For Lake Erie, Jackie Murray was outstanding from deep although it wasn't enough to bring her team a victory. Murray dropped in seven of 12 from three-point range and totaled 25 points on the night. Daija Jones played hard off the bench, leading her team with seven rebounds and four assists while also scoring five points.

The Pioneers posted an impressive shooting display from the field which contributed to the Storm's struggle to get back in the game. Malone shot 29-of-53 from the floor (54.7%) and 10-of-18 from the outside (55.6%). In addition, the Pioneers added 14-of-20 from the line (70%). Lake Erie was held to 20-of-61 from the field (32.8%) but did net nine-of-23 from three-point range (39%). The Storm also connected on 13-of-20 from the stripe (65%). The Pioneers controlled the boards throughout the contest and had a 39-32 advantage over the Storm at the end.

Malone will look to make it back-to-back wins as the squad hosts Ashland University (12-8, 10-6 GLIAC) on Saturday (Feb. 8) at 3:00 p.m.   Malone defeated Ashland 70-53 earlier in the season. Live stats will also be available at http://livestats.prestosports.com/malone.