The Malone University women's basketball team dropped a road contest with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) opponent Ashland University 78-50 Saturday afternoon.
After scoring a season-high 84 points while shooting 51% from the floor including a sizzling 59% from three-point range in their previous meeting, it was the opposite case for the Pioneers who struggled to find points for most of the first half.
Following a free throw by senior forward
Tara Schaffter that gave Malone its only lead of the game at 1-0, Ashland limited the Pioneers to just three
Rachel Goddard field goals for the rest of the first quarter. The Eagles opened up a 23-7 advantage after one, limiting Malone to just 3-of-16 (18.8%) shooting from the floor and 0-of-6 from three-point range.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Eagles scored the first eight points before freshman guard
Chrissie Vaughan stopped the run with her first bucket of the game. Ashland's lead would swell to as many as 28 before
Tara Schaffter buried a three to make it 42-17. The Eagles' Laina Snyder banked in a desperation three just before halftime to make it 45-17. Malone shot 6-for-30 (20.0%) and 2-of-12 from three-point range in the half.
After missing their first two shots of the second half, a three-pointer by junior guard
Alaina Schwarz finally sparked the offense to points on six straight possessions as Malone cut the deficit to 50-29. The Pioneers managed to outscore the Eagles 19-15 in the third frame but still trailed 60-36 heading into the fourth.
A three-pointer by sophomore guard
Alahna Singleton brought Malone to within 23 points early in the 4th, but the lead proved insurmountable as the nationally-ranked Eagles pulled away for the 78-50 victory.
Malone Individual Highlights:- Rachel Goddard scored a team-high 13 points while adding a team-high 6 assists
- Schaffter tallied 8 points and led the team with 7 rebounds
- Alahna Singleton knocked down a pair of threes and finished with 8 points
- Chrissie Vaughan added 9 points
Ashland Individual Highlights:- Julie Worley lead all scorers with 15 points
- Laina Snyder recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards
- Alex Henning registered 8 points, 7 boards, and a team-high 6 assists
Game Highlights:- The Eagles out rebounded the Pioneers 44-32 and outscored them 40-22 in the paint
- Malone fared better in the 2nd half, nearly doubling their first-half scoring output and shooting 12-of-30 (40.0%), ending up 18-for-60 (30.0%) for the game
- At the line, Malone finished just 8-of-14 (57.1%) while Ashland was 13-for-14 (92.9%)
Up Next:- The Pioneers (6-16, 3-14 GLIAC) will be back on the road this Thursday, February 11th when they meet the Tiffin Dragons (6-16, 4-13 GLIAC) at 6:00pm
