The Malone University women's basketball team will travel to North Canton this Saturday, February 17th to battle Walsh University in the 22nd Annual Mayors' Cup contest. After winning the Mayors' Cup last season, the Pioneers have a chance to win two in a row for the first time since pulling off a three-peat in 2007.
 
Saturday's rivalry game also has significant postseason implications for the Pioneers, who enter the week at 9-14 overall and 7-12 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Malone remains in a three-way struggle for the 8th spot in the G-MAC standings, but with three games left to play, the Pioneers control their own destiny and can guarantee a spot in the postseason with wins in each.
 
GameDay
2/17 Malone at Walsh – 3:00 pm
Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Malone Radio: ESPN 990 AM | www.espn990.com/listen.php
Stats: walsh.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/2017-18/boxscores/20180217_u4af.xml
 
Series History
Malone is 36-43 all-time against the Cavaliers, including a 63-54 loss last month. In 21 installments of Mayors' Cup games, the Pioneers are 9-12, including a 74-66 victory at Walsh last season.

Malone Notes

• Following the loss to Walsh on January 20th, the Pioneers lost five of their next six games while averaging just 59.3 points. They showed their resiliency through turmoil, however, by earning a 94-55 win over Trevecca Nazarene in a must-win game last Saturday.
• The Pioneers got it done on both ends of the court, shooting a season-high 61.2% (30-49) while holding their opponent to a season-low 28.8% (17-59). The remarkable 61.2% from the field was Malone's best performance since hitting 62.1% against Roberts Wesleyan in 2004. The 94 points were the most since 2012 and they also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Trojans 45-22.
• Even more impressive was the Pioneers' production from three-point range. Malone made 17 threes, marking the second-most in school history and just two away from the record. The Pioneers needed just 26 tries to reach the total as their 65.1% success rate last Saturday was the 7th-best in a game in NCAA Division II this season.
• Overall, Malone has climbed to 21st in DII in three-point shooting efficiency at 36.7%. The Pioneers trail only Cedarville (2nd in DII) and Findlay (7th in DII) in the conference. Malone is also 15th in the country in threes per game (8.5).
• In six games since January 27th, the Pioneers are averaging 10.3 triples while shooting 44.9% from behind the line. That number is 4th-best in the nation during that time frame.
• Junior guard Chrissie Vaughan was outstanding from distance on Saturday, draining 6-of-7 treys en route to a season-high 21 points. On the year, Vaughan is averaging 10.3 points a game. She leads the team and is 5th in the G-MAC with 54 made threes this season.
• Senior forward Baylen Dyrlund, who leads Malone in scoring with nearly 13 points a game, tossed in 19 in the win over Trevecca on 7-of-10 shooting. Over the last three games, she is scoring 18.3 points while making 58.3% of her shots.
• Sophomore guard Sydney Wentling (8.4 ppg) added five triples on Saturday as she poured in 16 points. Wentling is 9-of-15 (60.0%) from three over her last three games.
• Sharpshooting guard Paiten Strother (6.5 ppg) has shot 53.8% (14-of-26) from three over her last six games, while Dani Drayer, who has played solidly off the bench all season for Malone, has made 7-of-13 treys in the last seven games,
• Sophomore point guard Holly Groff, who is second on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and is third in the G-MAC in assists (3.8 apg), has made 48.3% (15-31) of her threes in the last 10 games. Groff scored a career-high 20 points against Walsh last month.
   

Walsh Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Cavaliers come into Saturday's game as the hottest team in the G-MAC, having won five games in a row and nine of their last 10. At 17-8 overall and 14-5 in the conference, they remain a viable contender for the number one overall seed. In its most recent game on Tuesday, Walsh topped Ohio Valley 95-57.
• Walsh has been solid defensively, leading the G-MAC in scoring defense (63.5 ppg) and three-point percentage defense (29.7%). The Cavs are third in scoring margin (+8.9 ppg), field goal defense (39.5%), and steals (9.2 spg). While defense has been the main story, the offense has been efficient, ranking 4th in the league in field goals (44.9%).
• Senior guard Alex Hochstedler leads the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) while freshman forward Mayci Sales averages 10.1 points and a team-high 5.2 rebounds. Freshman guard Kimmie Borck scored a team-high 17 points in the win over Malone in January.