CANTON, Ohio -- The Malone University women's basketball team opened up the home portion of their 2020-21 schedule on Wednesday evening, as the Pioneers welcomed the Dragons of Tiffin University to Osborne Hall. 

Malone got out to a hot start, building a double-digit lead early on the game. Unfortunately Tiffin was able to settle in and fight back. They then used a strong fourth quarter to pull away for a 69-61 win. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Pioneers opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a Robin Campbell three-pointer. A few possessions later a bucket from Madison Hunter put Malone on top 12-2.

The Dragons were able to weather the early storm, and slowly climbed their way back into the game. By the 3:47 mark in the opening quarter it was a 14-12 Pioneer lead, and on the very next possession a three-pointer gave Tiffin their first lead of the contest.

The teams continued to trade baskets, but a Tiffin layup inside the final minute helped them take a 25-22 advantage at the end of the opening quarter. 

Better focus on the defensive end of the floor, and a lift from the bench helped the Pioneers in a low-scoring second quarter. Malone scored four of their ten points in the quarter off of turnovers, and eight of those points came from outside the starting lineup.

After Campbell again opened the scoring in the quarter for Malone, it was all Emma Kallas the rest of the way. She provided the remaining eight points, all coming inside the paint.

Unfortunately, Tiffin was able to match the output from the Pioneers and held a 35-32 lead at the halftime break. 

Their slim lead was quickly erased however, thanks to a strong third quarter from Malone. 

Campbell opened up the quarter yet again with the first points, this time a three-pointer to tie the game at 35-35. After a pair of Dragon baskets, Nikki Weber and Holly Groff knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to put Malone up 41-39. 

Tiffin responded again, going up by as many as five points in the quarter, but after they split a pair of free throws inside the final seconds, Groff beat the buzzer for a layup, and the game was tied at 47-47 heading in to the final quarter. 

Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter the Dragons really used their advantage underneath, outscoring the Pioneers 10-4 inside the paint. They actually led by as many as ten points midway through the 4th, but Malone refused to go quietly.

They steadily chipped away at the deficit, getting to within one possession on a three-pointer from Kallas with 1:10 to play. The Dragons held on however, converting on five of their final eight free throws to escape Osborne Hall with the 69-61 win. 

PIONEER POINTS

• Robin Campbell and Emma Kallas each had 13 points to lead Malone in scoring. Campbell was 3-4 from beyond the three-point arc. Meanwhile Kallas just missed out on a double-double, leading the team with nine rebounds.

• The bench for the Pioneers outscored the substitutes from Tiffin by an 18-9 mark. 

• Alexis Hutchison and Madison Hunter each had 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for Malone.

• It was back-and-forth for most of the night with the lead changing hands seven different times, and neither team able to hold their double-digit advantage for more than a handful of possessions. 

• The Pioneers were a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers will hit the road this weekend. Malone travels to Cedarville on Saturday for a G-MAC contest. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.