Country roads will bring the Malone University women's basketball team home with a win after the Pioneers downed Alderson Broaddus University 57-46 Saturday afternoon in Philippi, West Virginia. Malone used a 27-4 first half run to end a two-game slide and improve to 8-10 on the year and 6-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. With the loss, the Battlers dropped to 4-14 (2-13 G-MAC).
 
Recap
Taking advantage of a pair of fastbreak layups, Alderson Broaddus held an early 9-4 lead midway through the opening quarter before the Pioneers began to take over. A corner three from Paiten Strother, a banked-in wing three from Chrissie Vaughan, and another Vaughan three from the top of the key quickly put Malone out in front. Two more Malone baskets, including a runner from Sydney Foster in the closing seconds of the quarter, made it a 17-9 score after one.
 
Malone made it a 19-9 contest on a Naomi Grandison layup before the Battlers finally ended a nearly nine-minute scoring drought to trim the score to 19-11. The Pioneer onslaught continued, however, as Malone then rattled off a 12-2 run over the next four minutes. Strother capped off the surge with another three-pointer, her third of the half, to give her team a 31-13 edge and their largest lead of the game.
 
By halftime, Malone led 34-17. A buzzer-beating three off the glass from Grandison capped a 6-for-10 long-ball effort from the Pioneers in the first half. The stingy defense, meanwhile, held the Battlers to just seven field goals and forced 13 AB turnovers in an outstanding first 20 minutes.
 
Points were at a premium for Malone in the third as the Pioneers made just three field goals in the period. The defensed maintained its intensity, though, and the Battlers were able to make up just three points as Malone still led 43-29 going into the fourth.
 
The Pioneers led by double-digits for the entirety of the final period. Early threes from Vaughan and Dani Drayer and a fastbreak layup from Strother all but sealed the victory as Alderson Broaddus failed to solve the Pioneer defense and Malone pulled away for the win.
 
Game Highlights
-The 46 points by the Battlers were the fewest by a Malone opponent this season. The previous mark was 50 by AB in the teams' first meeting in November.
-Alderson Broaddus managed to outshoot Malone 41.3% (19-46) to 38.2% (21-55), but the Battlers committed 20 turnovers.
-Malone turned those 20 miscues into 28 points as they outscored AB 28-15 in points off turnovers, proving to be the difference in the game.
-The Pioneers outrebounded the Battlers 35-28 and the Malone bench outscored the hosts' 20-6.
-Malone was an efficient 10-for-23 (43.5%) from three-point range as 30 of the 57 points came from beyond the arc. The 10 triples tied for the second most in a game this season.
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Paiten Strother (5-7 FG, 4-6 3 PT) matched a career-high with 14 points to go along with four rebounds and a steal.
-Naomi Grandison posted a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds.
-Chrissie Vaughan (3-5 3 PT) finished with nine points, two assists, and two steals.
-Dani Drayer totaled three points, four rebounds, a team-high four assists, and a steal.
 
Alderson Broaddus Individual Highlights
-Ta'Sharra Jeffries scored a team-high 14 points to go along with three steals
-Danielle Franklin tossed in nine points, five assists, and two steals.
 
Up Next
Malone will be back on the road this Tuesday, January 30th when they visit Cedarville for a men's and women's doubleheader.