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Led by first-year head coach Selana Reale, the Malone University women's basketball team tips off its season this Friday, November 9th at home against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
 
No stranger to the program, Reale has spent the last two seasons on the Malone coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Rick Tice and was a four-year starter for the Pioneers from 2011-12 to 2014-15. She inherits a team that is two years removed from a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Since taking over in late March, Reale has established her team's focus on getting better every single day.
 
"From the beginning, we've tried to set the tone with what we believe playing hard looks like," she expressed. "From a practice standpoint or lifting, whether it's a conditioning workout or an individual workout, we are focusing on getting better. I think we have done a decent job of adjusting to the intensity and giving that consistent effort."
 
Last season, Malone went 10-16 and missed out on a postseason berth, finishing 8-14 in conference play. The Pioneers graduated just two seniors from that team and return seven upperclassmen, including five who started at least 18 games. "Having some returners helps and I think they know a little bit of what is expected," noted Reale.
 
Among those veterans are three seniors: Chrissie Vaughan, Naomi Grandison, and Paiten Strother. Vaughan, an off-ball guard, averaged 10 points a game as a junior and made a team-high 61 three-pointers. A four-year starter for the Pioneers, Vaughan ranks second all-time at Malone with 185 career threes and she enters her senior season needing 243 points to became the 23rd member of the 1,000-point club.
 
Grandison started 22 games at forward last season, averaged 8.8 points a night, and finished second on the team in rebounding (5.0 rebounds per game). Strother, meanwhile, played in all 26 games and made 19 starts. She averaged 6.0 points a contest and finished second on the team with 19 steals. Strother (40) and Grandison (34) combined for 74 three-pointers last season and both shot better than 42% from beyond the arc.
 
All three seniors ranked among the G-MAC's best in three point-shooting. As a team, Malone ranked 17th among 300 NCAA Division II teams in three-point accuracy (36.7%) and 12th in three-pointers made per game (8.6). The Pioneers also finished 11th in free-throw shooting (78.9%).
 
Junior guards Sydney Wentling and Holly Groff both showed significant improvement from their freshman to sophomore seasons and played a huge part in those shooting numbers. Wentling, who played in all 26 games, including 18 starts last winter, shot 87.5% (42-of-48) from the free-throw line, made 37 threes, and scored 8.7 points a game. Groff, meanwhile, started all 26 games, averaged 11.2 points, and led the team in assists (99) and steals (21). Forwards Ellen Doyle, who started seven games last season, and Katie Brehm round out the junior class. Both should see their roles expand this winter.
 
While the Pioneers are without a sophomore, a capable freshman class goes five-deep. With the roster being low on numbers, those five may face a quick learning curve and will be expected to contribute immediately.
 
"The freshmen are going to get a lot of experience right off the bat," commented Reale. "That's going to be good for them both now and in the future. We will be relying on them to come in and not just be in the game, but be able to make plays."
 
The freshman class is led by 5'4" point guard Robin Campbell, who plays similarly to the 5'2" Reale, who was an All-Conference guard during her playing career at Malone. Campbell scored 20 points a game as a senior at Marlington High School where she was named First Team All-Ohio.
 
Versatile guards Madison Hunter (New Concord John Glenn) and Mikayla Poole (Carrollton) each surpassed 1,000 points in high school and both received Special Mention All-Ohio recognition. Guard Haley Shutt, an All-District performer at Garaway, and center Olivia Clark, who played in back-to-back state semifinals at Jackson Center, fill out a deep and talented group of frosh.
 
Joining Reale on the Pioneer bench this season will be assistant coaches Deidre McKay and Olivia Besancon. "This is both their first year at Malone and they've done a great job with everything that's been asked of them and have been a huge help to myself and the team," Reale acknowledged.
 
Malone follows its season opener against Wisconsin-Parkside on Friday with another in-region game against Lake Superior State (hosted by Walsh) on Saturday. The Pioneers begin a 22-game G-MAC schedule with a home date versus Ohio Valley on November 29th. On December 29th, Malone will visit NCAA Division I Akron for an exhibition contest. In addition to visiting Walsh on January 12th, Malone will host its archrival in the 23rd Annual Mayors' Cup game on February 23rd.