The Malone University women's basketball team outlasted Salem University (WV) 81-75 in overtime late Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference battle. After being deadlocked at 64-64 at the end of regulation, the Pioneers outscored the Tigers 17-11 in the five-minute extra frame to improve to 2-3 on the season. The hosts, meanwhile, dropped to 0-5.
 
Recap
Junior forward Ellen Doyle scored the Pioneers' first nine points during a game-opening 14-3 run as Malone opened up its largest lead of the game midway through the first quarter. After a cold start, the shots started to fall for the Tigers, who closed to within three points at 17-14, before a trey by Doyle in the closing seconds of the quarter gave Malone a 20-14 lead after one.
 
Salem turned the momentum upside down in the second quarter using a relentless full court pressure and 11 points off turnovers to open up their own double-digit lead. A 20-4 run over the first nine minutes of the period put the Tigers in front 34-24 before a layup by Doyle finally halted a six-minute scoring drought.
 
After going into the half down 36-27, Malone fought back to regain a 44-40 lead on a 17-4 run over the first eight minutes of the third quarter sparked by back-to-back threes by Doyle and Naomi Grandison and capped off by threes by Grandison and Paiten Strother. Malone would way maintain a slim 45-42 advantage going into the fourth.
 
The final frame featured four lead changes and five ties, the first of which came at the 7:50 mark as the two teams were knotted up at 51-51. Four minutes later, Salem would take a 59-56 lead with just under four minutes to go. The Pioneers, who were outscored 12-0 in the final five minutes of their loss to Seton Hill on Saturday, battled back to tie 59-59 on a free throw by Chrissie Vaughan and another basket by Doyle.
 
Sydney Wentling then put Malone ahead 60-59 on a free throw with 2:25 left, but the Tigers once again bounced back in front with a layup two possessions later. With just 43 seconds left to play, it was Doyle yet again coming up clutch for the Pioneers as her put-back layup gave Malone a 62-61 lead.
 
After trading empty possessions, Salem had the ball with seven seconds to play, but an in-bounds pass out of a timeout sailed high and out of bounds. A pair of free throws by Wentling on the opposite end allowed Malone to take a 64-61 lead with five seconds left.
 
Out of another Salem timeout, the Tigers' Endia Jones tossed up a 28-foot prayer from the top of the circle and found nothing but the bottom of the net as the fourth-quarter clock expired, sending the two teams to overtime.
 
The Tigers, who entered the contest as one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in the country, drained three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to start overtime, but Malone remained resilient and eventually tied it at 70-70 on a pair of free throws by Campbell. On the next possession, a right-winged three-pointer by Chrissie Vaughan, her only field goal of the game, gave the Pioneers a 73-70 lead and put Malone ahead for good with 2:40 to play.
 
From there, Malone pulled away as Wentling hit an 8-foot jumper two possessions later and the Pioneers drained their free throws down the stretch to hold on for a hard-fought 81-75 victory.
 
Game Highlights
-Malone finished 21-of-30 (70.0%) at the free throw line, marking the most made free throws in the last 18 games.
-The Pioneers were 25-of-66 (37.9%) from the field and 10-of-29 (34.5%) from three.
-Salem countered with 12-of-36 (33.3%) shooting from three and 27-of-77 (35.1%) from the field.
-The Tigers had a 42-38 edge in rebounding, a 41-24 margin in bench scoring, and a 23-17 advantage in second-chance points.
-Malone was called for just 10 personal fouls, however, while the Tigers were whistled 27 times.
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Ellen Doyle scored a career-high 25 points (9-13 FG, 3-4 3PT, 4-6 FT) to lead all scorers. It was just the second time in her career she reached double digits in scoring, surpassing her previous career-high of 15. She added seven rebounds and three assists.
-Sydney Wentling tallied 12 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
-Despite a poor shooting night, Robin Campbell totaled 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
-Naomi Grandison knocked down a trio of triples on her way to 11 points, four boards, and two assists.
-Madison Hunter (3-3 FG, 2-2FT) recorded eight points and a steal in 14 minutes off the bench.
-Paiten Strother totaled five points, five rebounds, and a game-high four assists.
 
Salem Individual Highlights
-Endia Jones finished with a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds.
-Aaliyah Holmes added 14 points and three assists.
 
Up Next
Malone will begin G-MAC play next Thursday, November 29th at home against Ohio Valley.