The Malone University women's basketball will return to Hal Smith Court in Osborne Hall this week for two Great Midwest Athletic Conference games with Ohio Valley University on Thursday, February 9th and Cedarville University on Saturday, February 11th. The Pioneers are 6-2 on their home floor this season, including victories in six straight. Malone has already clinched its spot in the G-MAC Tournament in March and will be jockeying for position in the upcoming weeks.
 
GameDay
(2/9) Malone (14-6, 7-2 G-MAC) vs. Ohio Valley (6-15, 0-9 G-MAC) – 7:00 pm
Live Video: livestream.com/maloneuniversity
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/malone/wbball
 
*(2/11) Malone vs. Cedarville (14-8, 6-3 G-MAC) – 1:00 pm
Live Video: livestream.com/maloneuniversity
Live Radio: ESPN 990 AM | espn990.com/listen.php
Live Stats: sidearmstats.com/malone/wbball

*Saturday's game will be part of a doubleheader with the men's game beginning at 3:00 pm. The Malone athletic department will also be inducting five former Pioneer greats into the 32nd Annual Hall of Fame Class
 
All-Time Series
Malone improved to 3-2 over Ohio Valley with a 70-54 win on January 21st. Two days prior, the Pioneers fell to just 11-29 against Cedarville with 73-61 loss that stopped Malone's nine-game winning streak. Cedarville has claimed 21 consecutive victories over Malone, dating back to the 2000-01 season.

Malone Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Pioneers are coming off a 2-0 week in which they defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 75-64 and Trevecca Nazarene 79-60. The Pioneers shot a season-high 54.0% (27-of-50) in their win over Trevecca.
• Also in Saturday's win over Trevecca, senior point guard Rachel Goddard surpassed the 1,000 career-points plateau. On the season she is averaging 14.8 points per game and ranks 8th in the G-MAC.
• Goddard also ranks 3rd in the conference in assists (4.9 apg) and is 2nd in the conference in free throws (85.0%). Goddard has recently found her stroke from the three-point line, drilling seven treys in her last three games. Prior to that, she totaled seven in 12 combined games.
• Junior forward Baylen Dyrlund reached a personal milestone of her own last week, recording her 500th career point dating back to her time at West Liberty. Dyrlund has been on a tear as of late, averaging 18.3 points while leading Malone in scoring in each of the last four games. Included in that stretch was a career-high 22 points against this Thursday's opponent Ohio Valley.
• For the season, Dyrlund is scoring 13.9 points while pulling down 6.3 rebounds a game. She is 5th in the conference in shooting (51.8%) and is 6-of-8 from three-point range over the last four games.
• Senior forward Hannah McCue has been knocking down the threes all season. She is the only player in the conference with a made three in every game and she leads the Pioneers with 38 on the season.
• McCue continues to rank among the top-10 in the G-MAC in scoring (15.5 ppg; 4th), rebounding (9.7 rpg, 2nd), steals (1.9 spg; 4th), and blocked shots (1.7 bpg; 2nd).
• Senior guard Alaina Schwarz scored a season-high 16 points last Saturday vs. Trevecca, reaching double-digit scoring for the third time this season.
• Against Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday, reserve forward Naomi Grandison reached double figures for the second time, tying a season-high with 14 points. Grandison has played at least 26 minutes in each of the last three games. She played in 25+ minutes just three times in her previous 44 games.
• Reserve forward Mackenzie Storlie scored six points, tied a career-high with three steals, and tied a career-high with eight rebounds against Trevecca on Saturday. She is second on the team with 2.2 assists per game.
• Malone totaled 23 assists, the second-most in a game this season in the win over Trevecca last Saturday. The Pioneers totaled their second-fewest assists (10), fewest rebounds (28), and their worst shooting performance (31.1%) against this Saturday's opponent Cedarville in their previous meeting.
• The Pioneers, did, however shoot a season-high 94.7% (18-of-19) from the free throw line in the January loss to the Yellow Jackets. Malone leads the conference in free-throw shooting (76.1%) as well as scoring defense (62.0 ppg).
   

Ohio Valley Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• Ohio Valley is coming off an 0-2 week in which they lost 62-47 to Alderson Broaddus and 75-59 to Davis & Elkins. In nine conference games, OVU has yet to score more than 60 points.
• They enter the week ranked last in the G-MAC games in scoring offense (55.1 ppg), scoring defense (76.1 ppg), and opponents' field goal percentage (45.6%)
• The Fighting Scots played relatively well against Malone in their previous matchup, particularly in the second half where they held the Pioneers to 33 points on 37.9% shooting.
• Shicole Watts led OVU with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. On the season she leads the squad in points (14.9 ppg), rebounds (7.9 rpg), steals (2.8 spg), and blocks (1.3 bpg). She leads the G-MAC in steals, ranks third in rebounding, 6th in blocks, and 7th in scoring.
• In the loss to Malone, forwards Anee' Braswell (15) and Ariel Johnson (13) both scored in double-digits. Braswell (9.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Johnson (7.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) both rank among the league leaders in rebounds.
   

Cedarville Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• In the Yellow Jackets 73-61 win over Malone in January, Baylee Bennett (20), Breanne Watterworth (20), and Regina Hochstetler (16) all scored in double figures. Watterworth also tied a team-high with nine rebounds as Cedarville dominated Malone 46-28 on the glass.
• Cedarville leads the G-MAC in total rebounds (41.9 rpg), rebounding margin (+6.4 rpg), and opponents field goal percentage (35.9%). They rank just behind Malone in scoring defense at 63.3 ppg.
• Hochstetler leads the offense with 15.1 ppg while leading the conference and ranking 2nd in the nation in free-throw percentage (92.5%).
• Bennett checks in with 13.4 points a night. She ranks 9th in DII with 69 made three-pointers.
• Watterworth (11.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg), and fellow forwards Emily Williams (5.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Taylor Buckley (6.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg) all rank within the G-MAC top-10 in rebounding.
• Cedarville enters the weekend having won five straight games. The Yellow Jackets will meet first-place Ursuline on Thursday before coming to Malone on Saturday.