Natalie Nickol Action Shot vs Walsh 2015

Women's Basketball 01/06/16

Women's Basketball Notes: Pioneers Return Home for a Pair of GLIAC Games

Natalie Nickol scored a career-high 15 points against Hillsdale

The Malone University women's basketball team will host a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) contests this week. The Pioneers will welcome Ferris State University (MI) to Osborne Hall this Thursday, January 7th for a 6:00 pm tipoff before hosting Grand Valley State University (MI) on Saturday, January 9th in a scheduled 1:00 pm tipoff.

Multimedia:
Live Video (Both Games): http://livestream.com/maloneuniversity
Live Stats (FSU): http://www.gliac.org/sports/wbkb/2015-16/boxscores/20160107_oa51.xml
Live Stats (GVSU): http://www.gliac.org/sports/wbkb/2015-16/boxscores/20160109_1wlu.xml

Rosters
Malone | Ferris State | Grand Valley State

Statistics
Malone | Ferris State | Grand Valley State

Records
Malone 4-7 (1-5 GLIAC) | Ferris State 3-9 (3-3 GLIAC) | Grand Valley State 9-3 (4-2 GLIAC)

All-Time Series:
The Pioneers fell to 1-2 all-time with a 55-47 loss to Ferris State in 2015
Malone dropped to 2-1 all-time to Grand Valley State after an 85-60 defeat a season ago

Malone Notes:

Malone comes into this week's matchups ranked 2nd in the GLIAC and 16th in NCAA DII with 8.6 made threes per game...defensively, Malone remains 1st in the nation in fewest personal fouls (13.4)
The Pioneers are coming off an 81-71 defeat to Hillsdale on Sunday...despite the loss, Malone shot a season-high 47.2% from the field
Rachel Goddard scored a game-high 17 points in the setback...the junior guard is 7th in the GLIAC with 14.8 points and 5th with 3.8 assists per game...the GLIAC's leader in minutes played per game (36.2 mpg), Goddard enters Thursday's game with 495 career points...with five points she will reach the 500-point milestone in less than a season and a half with the Pioneers
Not far behind with 468 career points, senior Tara Schaffter could reach the milestone this weekend...the senior forward has added 10.6 points a night
Junior Natalie Nickol scored a career-high 15 points on five made threes against Hillsdale...the 5'9" guard has bucketed nine long balls in her last three games
In each of Malone's last three games, senior Bri Libertore has reached double-digits in scoring while shooting 65% (13-20) from the floor...the 6'0" forward sits 10th in the GLIAC with 6.5 rebounds an outing
Freshman Chrissie Vaughan is contributing 11.0 points per contest...despite missing two games due to injury, Vaughan is currently 7th in the GLIAC with 25 made three-pointers
Malone returns to the Hal Smith hardwood for the 6th time this season, in their previous five home games, the Pioneers are 4-1

Ferris State Notes:

Despite scoring 142 points over its last two games, Ferris State' s slowed-down offense comes in averaging 55.4 points per game
Senior Alexis Huntey, a volleyball standout who earned Second Team All-GLIAC and helped the Bulldogs to a Midwest Regional Final appearance, has averaged 13.8 and 10.5 rebounds in four games since joining the basketball team...the 6'1" forward has recorded three double-doubles and tied a team-high with 24 points in a 75-71 win over Wayne State (MI) on Sunday
6'1" Sophomore forward Rachel McInerney, who also scored 24 points in the Bulldogs' victory, is averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game...she is 8th in the GLIAC field goal shooting percentage (53.5), 10th in total rebounds (74), and 11th in total blocks (13)
Through six conference games, Ferris ranks 2nd in assists per game (17.0)
Guard Hannah Evo has recorded 41 assists on the season and is 3rd in GLIAC play with 28 assists
Canton native and GlenOak graduate Emily Evans leads the team with 22 steals

Grand Valley State Notes

The Lakers' potent offense is averaging the 2nd most points in the conference (74.9)...GVSU is third in the nation in three-pointers made per game (9.8) while committing the 7th fewest turnovers (12.4 to/g)
Defensively, Grand Valley is allowing the 2nd fewest points in the GLIAC (58.1)...in six conference games, the Lakers have limited opponents to a league-best 36.4% from the field
GVSU's scoring margin (+19.5) ranks 10th in NCAA DII...that number was helped by a 40-point (75-35) thrashing of Findlay on Sunday....Kayla Dawson and Taylor Lutz each poured in 18 points in the win
Dawson, the Lakers' leading scorer, is 6th in the GLIAC, posting 15.1 points a night...the junior forward is 9th in the GLIAC with 24 steals
Senior Brionna Barnett checks in with 12.1 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per game
Juniors Bailey Cairnduff and Piper Tucker are chipping in with 10.2 and 9.8 points respectively...Tucker ranks 3rd in the GLIAC with a 45.6 three-point shooting percentage
Three-point specialist Lindsay Baker (7.8 ppg) is 2nd in the GLIAC with 26 made threes and 4th in three-point percentage (43.3)

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Players Mentioned

#2 Rachel Goddard: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#14 Bri Libertore: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#23 Natalie Nickol: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#44 Tara Schaffter: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#10 Chrissie Vaughan: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Rachel Goddard
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#14 Bri Libertore
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#23 Natalie Nickol
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#44 Tara Schaffter
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#10 Chrissie Vaughan
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G