The Malone University women's basketball team opened its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schedule with an 80-55 setback at Michigan Tech University Thursday evening.
The Huskies raced out to a 20-15 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 11 points in the second, forcing Malone head coach Ryan Bailey into a timeout with the Pioneers down 35-24.Following the timeout, the Pioneers fought back with an 8-0 run as Chrissie Vaughan and Rachel Goddard hit consecutive threes and senior Bri Libertore converted a layup to cut the lead to 35-32. But Michigan Tech used a strong shooting performance, making 61.5% (8-13) of their field goals in the quarter, to stretch their lead to 41-34 at the intermission.
Michigan Tech continued their hot shooting in the second half; opening up with a 14-4 run that extended the lead to 55-38. The Pioneers managed just six layups in the quarter, trailing 61-46 heading into the 4th.
Malone watched Michigan Tech improve to 1-0 in the GLIAC after the Huskies outscored the Pioneers 19-9 in the final frame to secure the 80-55 decision. Malone shot just 4 of 17 in the quarter.
- Rachel Goddard led the Pioneers with 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds
- Freshman forward Naomi Grandison came off the bench to score 11 points on 5-6 shooting
- The Pioneers were led on the glass by Bri Libertore who finished with 7 rebounds
- In addition to her 8 points and 6 rebounds, Chrissie Vaughan led the team with 3 assists and 2 steals
- Tara Schaffter totaled 9 points and 3 rebounds
Michigan Tech Individual Highlights:- Junior guard Morgan Anderson set a career-high with 26 points, tying a school record with 8 three-pointers
- Center Kylie Moxley contributed 18 points and 6 rebounds
- GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year Danielle Blake added 9 points, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and a team-high 11 rebounds
Game Notes:- Malone dropped to 0-4 all-time against Michigan Tech
- The Huskies outshot the Pioneers 54.2% (32-59) to 34.3% (23-67)...the Huskies were 50% (11-22) from downtown
- Michigan Tech had a slim rebounding advantage (39-35)
- The Huskies held a significant edge in assists (20-9) and team blocks (8-1)
- Malone hit a season-low 3 three-pointers (3-15) but scored a season-high 40 points in the paint
Up Next:- The Pioneers (2-3, 0-1 GLIAC) will travel to Marquette, Michigan to face Northern Michigan University Saturday, December 5th at 1:00 pm. Preview notes for that matchup can be found here.
