The Malone University women's basketball team will look to close out the regular season on a high note this weekend as it prepares for next Tuesday's Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Quarterfinal matchup. Despite ending their five-game win streak with a loss to rival Walsh last Saturday, the Pioneers still managed to clinch just their second postseason berth in the last five seasons thanks to a loss by Lake Erie.
 
Malone enters this week in sixth place in the G-MAC Standings, but could be anywhere from fifth to eighth by the time March Madness begins next Tuesday. The Pioneers close out the regular season against two teams who have been reeling over the last two weeks. Malone hosts Ursuline College on Thursday, February 28th at 6:00 pm before celebrating Senior Day on March 2nd against Lake Erie at 1:00 pm.

Regardless of the outcomes of this weekend's game, the Pioneers are guaranteed to be on the road for the opening round of the G-MAC Tournament.
 
GameDay
2/28 Malone vs. Ursuline – 6:00 pm
3/2 Malone vs. Lake Erie – 1:00 pm | Senior Day*
Live video/stats: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Radio: ESPN 990 AM | www.espn990.com/listen.php
 
*Pioneer seniors Naomi Grandison, Paiten Strother, and Chrissie Vaughan will be recognized immediately following the conclusion of the game. The Pioneer men's game will begin shortly thereafter.
 
Team Comparison

Category	Malone	URS	LEC
Record (G-MAC)	13-13 (11-9)	8-18 (7-13)	11-14 (8-12)
Points per game	60.6	69.7	61.9
Points allowed	61.5	74.1	70.8
Scoring margin	-1.0	-4.4	-8.9
FG%	37.8%	39.7%	41.2%
3-point%	32.5%	34.7%	32.2%
Free throw%	74.8%	72.2%	65.6%
FG% defense	37.9%	40.6%	41.5%
Rebounds	35.9	36.8	33.2
Rebound margin	-2.4	-3.4	-6.3
Turnover margin	-1.5	0	-2.6

Series History
Malone is 16-7 all-time against Ursuline in what has become a developing rivalry over the past three seasons. Earlier this year at Ursuline, the Arrows used a 26-2 second-half run to earn a 64-42 win over the Pioneers.
 
Against Lake Erie, the Pioneers are 18-8 in 26 all-time meetings, including a 76-46 win over the Storm in January. Malone shot 50% in the victory, second-highest of the season, while allowing the Storm to shoot only 27.2%, second-lowest by a Malone opponent this winter.

Malone Notes

• Since the loss to Ursuline, the Pioneers have won seven of the last nine games and turned themselves from borderline playoff also-rans into serious contenders.
• During the stretch, Malone has won with fantastic defense mixed with some clutch shot-making. Over the last nine games, the Pioneers are holding opponents to just 35.4% shooting and 57.8 points per game. Offensively, they are making over nine 3-pointers per game while shooting 37.0% from distance.
• Freshman point guard Robin Campbell has led the way, averaging 16.0 points while shooting 65.2% (15-of-23) from beyond the arc across the last nine games. The rookie guard is making a strong case for All-Conference consideration as the season winds down.
• Campbell is fourth in the G-MAC in scoring (14.5 ppg), first in assists (4.4 apg) and first in minutes (36.4 mpg). She also leads Malone with 28 steals and is second in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Among DII freshmen, Campbell ranks 10th in points, third in assists, and first in minutes played.
• Senior Chrissie Vaughan, who ranks fifth in the G-MAC in minutes (32.9 mpg), has averaged 12.1 points and knocked down 24 3-pointers over the past nine games. On the season, she leads the team with 51 made threes and has at least one in all 26 games this season.
• Vaughan, who is second on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg) and steals (27) enters the weekend with 999 career points. With a basket on Thursday, she will become the 23rd Malone women's basketball player with 1,000 in her career.
• Senior forward Naomi Grandison enters her final two collegiate home games with 657 career points (45th all-time) and 362 career rebounds (32nd all-time). The four-year contributor has 93 career 3-pointers in 106 career games.
• Junior guard Sydney Wentling, who ranks second on the team in field goals (43.6%) and three-point shooting (38.2%) is coming off of a season-high 17-point performance at Walsh on Saturday.
• Senior guard Paiten Strother tied a career-high with six assists vs. Walsh. Against Lake Erie earlier this season, Strother went 3-of-5 from deep and scored 16 points, the second-most of her career. Including that game, she is shooting 45.7% (16-of-35) from three-point range over the past 11 contests.
• Junior forward Ellen Doyle scored 15 points at Lake Erie and a game-high 12 points in the loss at Ursuline. On the year, she is third on the team in points (8.9 ppg) and leads the team in rebounds (6.0 rpg).
• Malone is 6-5 at home this season, including a 5-1 mark in the last six games on the Hal Smith hardwood. The Pioneers defeated both Lake Erie and Ursuline at home last season.
• With two wins this weekend, Malone would guarantee just its fourth winning season in the last 12 years.

Ursuline Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• Since their 96-44 drubbing of Lake Erie on January 26th, the Arrows have lost seven of their last eight games, including five in a row. Most recently, Ursuline dropped a 102-80 decision to Cedarville last Saturday.
• Over the last eight games since January 31st, Ursuline is allowing 83.3 points per game – fourth-most in the country during that time frame. The 42 points Malone scored against the Arrows on January 21st, however, marked a season-low by an opponent.
• Junior forward Julia Cardwell is third in the G-MAC in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game.
• Senior guard Paige Salisbury (8.3 ppg) leads the team in rebounds (7.1 rpg), assists (4.0 apg), and steals (31).
• Ursuline comes into Thursday's game in Osborne Hall just 2-9 in road games this season.
   

Lake Erie Notes -  Roster | Schedule | Stats

• Lake Erie, who plays at Walsh on Thursday, comes into the week with losses in four straight and seven of their last nine games overall. In their most recent game, the Storm lost to Tiffin 71-65 last Saturday.
• Junior guard Farrah Benner netted five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points in the loss to Tiffin. On the season, she is averaging 11.4 points and ranks third in the G-MAC with 65 made triples.
• The rest of the team, however, has combined to make 72 treys as the Storm are 11th in the G-MAC in threes (5.5 per game).
• Junior guard Josie Chaddock leads the team and ranks seventh in the G-MAC in scoring (13.6 ppg) and ranks among the top-3 in the G-MAC in assists (4.0 apg), steals (2.2 spg), and minutes played (36.0 mpg).
• Lake Erie is currently 4-8 on the road this season, but have lost seven straight.