After thoroughly defeating NCAA Division I opponent Bowling Green on Wednesday, the Malone University women's basketball team will look to carry the momentum over into their annual Mayor's Cup rivalry with Walsh University this Saturday, December 31st. The road matchup is slated for 12:00 pm as Malone tries to avenge a last-second loss to Walsh earlier this season.

Gameday
(12/31) Malone (6-4) at Walsh (7-5) – 12:00 pm
Live Video: teamline.com
Live Stats: walsh.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20161231_1jzj.xml
Live (Malone) Radio: ESPN 990 AM / espn990.com
Twitter: @maloneathletics

All-Time Series
Malone dropped to 35-42 with the previous loss to Walsh this season. The Pioneers have lost four in a row to their rivals and have not claimed the Mayor's Cup since the 2012-13 season.

Malone Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Pioneers come into the weekend red-hot, having won seven of their last eight including the aforementioned 78-65 exhibition victory over Bowling Green earlier this week.
• As they have for much of the season, the Pioneers relied on a terrific outside game (10-24 3PT) and clutch free throw shooting (28-33 FT) while limiting themselves to 10 total turnovers in the victory.
• Senior forward Hannah McCue dominated the first half against Bowling Green, scoring 20 of her 24 total points. The inside/outside threat connected on a trio of shots from behind the three-point line where she has made at least one three in every game this season, and at least two in seven of the last eight.
• McCue is averaging 14.4 points and 9.8 rebounds on the year to lead Malone in both categories. She will look to make her presence felt against Walsh on Saturday after scoring a season-low 10 points in the prior matchup.
• Baylen Dyrlund, who scored a team-high 18 points against Walsh in November, is averaging 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds as an outstanding post presence. Dyrlund scored 12 points and was a perfect 8-8 at the free throw line against BG where she is shooting 76.9% (30-39) this season.
• Malone's leading free-shooter Rachel Goddard is 36-44 (81.8%) at the line this season. The senior did, however, miss a costly free throw down the stretch in the loss to Walsh. In an otherwise outstanding game, Goddard scored 12 points while corralling a career-high 10 rebounds in achieving her first career double-double. The do-it-all point guard, who added five assists in the Walsh game, contributed 15 points and five more assists in the win over BG.
• Goddard and reserve guard Natalie Nickol are the only two players on the active roster who were on the team when Malone last beat Walsh in the 2014-15 season.
• Sophomore Chrissie Vaughan, who has averaged 8.7 ppg in her three career losses to Walsh, has been deadly from beyond the arc this season. The sharpshooting guard ranks 23rd in the nation with a 45.6% success rate from deep. Vaughan connected on 4-of-7 threes in the win on Wednesday.
• Holly Groff continues to provide instant energy off the bench for the Pioneers. The freshman guard knocked down a pair of threes and pulled down four rebounds in 13 minutes on Wednesday
• Senior point guard Mackenzie Storlie, also starring in a supporting role, scored a career-high seven points on 7-of-8 free throw shooting against Bowling Green. She is currently second on the team with 26 assists.
• As a team this season, Malone has assisted on 64.4% of its made field goals, up from 57.1% a season ago.
• Malone is 3-2 on the road this season.
   

Walsh Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Cavaliers will be coming off of a two-week hiatus this weekend since defeating Northwood (75-72) and Lake Superior State (83-80) on a recent GLIAC road trip. Walsh overcame a 25-point deficit in the latter contest.
• Overall, Walsh is 7-3 in its last 10 games, with five of those wins coming by four points or less. They displayed their propensity to win close games early on with a 62-60 last-second win over Malone on November 19th.
• Alex Hochstedler, who scored a game-high 23 points to help the Cavs overcome a 14-point deficit in the win over Malone, is averaging 12.3 ppg.
• Leading scorer Brooklyn Wooten checks in with 14.2 points and a team-high 4.2 assists per game. Wooten missed the previous game with Malone due to injury.
• Leading rebounder Brittni Clopton (6.3 rpg) averages 11.6 points a game while senior guard Jalynn Graham puts up 9.5 a game. Graham leads the team with 31 steals through 12 games while Clopton has collected a team-high 12 blocks.
• As a team Walsh is last in the GLIAC with a 37.2% field goal rate while opponents are shooting 42.6%. Over the last six games, Walsh opponents have shot a robust 41.2% from three-point range which bodes well for a Malone squad that ranks 9th in the nation in made three pointers per game.
• Walsh is 2-2 at home this season.