The Malone University women's basketball team earned another impressive win on Saturday afternoon, topping Ursuline College 73-62 in an important Great Midwest Athletic Conference rivalry showdown. All five Malone starters reached double-digits in scoring as the Pioneers (6-8, 4-6 G-MAC) upset the second place-Arrows (12-5, 9-2 G-MAC) to remain in 8th place in the G-MAC standings.
 
Recap
In a rematch of last year's G-MAC Championship game, the two teams exchanged the lead eight times in an exciting and well-played first quarter in which both teams shot 58%. The Arrows maintained a 23-21 lead after one, with 11 of those points coming from two-time defending G-MAC Player of the Year Laney Lewis.
 
In the second quarter, Malone picked up the defensive intensity on Lewis, who was held to just four points for the rest of the game. Pioneer junior guard Chrissie Vaughan scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half, including 10 in the second quarter. Vaughan's three-pointer with 6:21 left in the frame put Malone up 32-30 and from there, Malone never trailed again. A late layup from Sydney Wentling just before halftime gave the Pioneers a 42-35 lead at the break. The hosts were fantastic in their halfcourt offense, shooting 60% (15-for-25) from the field over the first 20 minutes.
 
Five points from Holly Groff and an old-fashioned three-point play from Paiten Strother at the midway point of the third quarter helped Malone take a 50-40 advantage before a 9-0 run by Ursuline over the next two-and-a-half minutes made it a one-point game. The two teams then traded baskets before the end of the quarter as Malone nursed a 52-51 lead heading into the fourth.
 
The Arrows, who came into Saturday's game having won 12 of their last 14, battled back to tie it at 58-58 with 6:23 left to play in the game. Undaunted, Malone answered back immediately as Groff drove the lane for contested layup. Following a pair of Baylen Dyrlund free throws, Ursuline trimmed the deficit to two points once again at 62-60 with five minutes remaining, but the Malone defense came up huge down the stretch, limiting the Arrows to just 1-of-7 shooting. The Pioneers ended the game on an 11-2 run that featured an putback layup from Keri Hill that put the exclamation mark on an outstanding upset victory.
 
Game Highlights
-The win marked the third straight victory for the Pioneers over Ursuline, who has appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
-Malone finished a season-high 51.9% (27-of-52) from the field, including a 43.8% (7-for-16) performance from three-point range. The Pioneers were also 12-of-16 from the free-throw line.
-Ursuline shot just 5-of-15 in the fourth quarter and 26-of-62 (41.9%) for the game. The Arrows were 8-of-23 from three and just 2-of-4 at the charity stripe.
-For the first time all season, Malone outscored its opponent in the paint, edging out the Arrows 36-32.
-The Pioneers also held a dominant rebounding advantage, 38-26.
 
Malone Individual Highlights
- Holly Groff, who played all 40 minutes, matched a career-high with 18 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 3PT, 4-4 FT). She added six assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
-In another impressive performance, Baylen Dyrlund totaled 17 points, eight rebounds, and a steal.
-Chrissie Vaughan knocked down a trio of threes and finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds.
-Sydney Wentling added 11 points.
-Paiten Strother collected 10 points and seven rebounds and delivered an unheralded defensive effort.
 
Ursuline Individual Highlights
-Laney Lewis finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
-Camryn Hill tallied a team-high 17 points along with seven rebounds.
-Paige Salisbury totaled 14 points and four assists.
 
Up Next
Malone will look to make it three wins a row on Monday, January 15th when they travel to West Virginia to take on Ohio Valley in a G-MAC affair tipping off at 5:30 pm.