Box Score

The Malone University women's basketball team was resilient in defeat in Saturday afternoon's exhibtion at NCAA DI Kent State University Saturday.

After breaking Kent State's press in the game's opening minutes, the Pioneers took their first and only lead of the contest on a Bri Libertore layup midway through the first to make it 10-9. A nearly six-minute scoring drought allowed the Golden Flashes to retake the lead and extend it to 20-10 before Tara Schaffter hit a jumper early in the second frame.

Down 26-16, the Pioneers used a 12-4 run to cut the lead to just two. Another jumper and two free throws by Schaffter preceded consecutive Rachel Goddard three-pointers and an Emma Havener layup that made it 30-28. A loose ball foul by Malone with just .4 seconds left led to two KSU free throws and a 32-28 score at the intermission.

The Golden Flashes stretched the lead to 39-30 to begin the second half before the Pioneers again fought back. Goddard hit a coast-to-coast layup and then an open jumper before an Audrey Myers three-pointer made it 41-37 with 4:37 left in the third. KSU rallied back, taking a 53-42 advantage into the final quarter.

Audrey Myers hit a jumper early in the fourth to make it 55-46, but the Pioneers never got any closer for the remainder of the game as Kent proved too strong, scoring 12 points in the paint and sinking eight free throws in the final session to put the game away 73-59.