The Malone University women's basketball team endured its second straight home loss on Thursday night as visiting Lake Erie College topped the Pioneers 65-61 in an important Great Midwest Athletic Conference contest.
 
With the loss, Malone fell to 17-8 on the season and 11-4 in the G-MAC while Lake Erie improved to 7-9 in conference play and 10-16 overall. With three G-MAC games remaining, Malone is locked into a tie for third place with Cedarville. The two teams will square off this Saturday.
 
Recap
Malone fell behind 23-15 at the end of a first quarter that featured a 14-4 edge in points in the paint by the Storm. While Lake Erie's Breanna Bauer tallied 11 first-quarter points, Ellen Doyle (8) and Holly Groff (6) combined for 14 of the Pioneers' 15 points.
 
The second quarter saw Lake Erie extend its lead to a game-high 16 points by the three-minute mark. With the Pioneers down 35-19, Madison Hunter and Alexis Hutchison each connected on threes and Jade Abdulla added a short jumper in the paint to cut the margin to 37-27 at half.
 
After the Storm made a basket on their first offensive possession of the second half, Malone took complete control of the game over the next seven minutes. The Pioneers used a 12-0 run, highlighted off by another Hunter trey, to tie the game at 39-39. A three-pointer stopped Lake Erie's string of 10 consecutive missed field goals, but Malone scored seven straight to end the period.
 
Abdulla's layup off of a nice feed from Doyle capped a 21-3 run a minute into the fourth quarter as the Pioneers gained their largest lead of the game at 48-42. Lake Erie answered with a frustrating 13-1 run which made the score 55-49 in favor of the visitors with 3:26 to play.
 
Refusing to go away, the Pioneers battled back to tie the game in the final minute. Following an open three-pointer from Sydney Wentling on the left wing, Groff converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 34 seconds left to tie the game, 59-59.
 
Coming out of a timeout, the Storm leaned on their senior leader Josie Chaddock for the go-ahead basket. Her layup with 16 seconds on the clock gave the guests a 61-59 advantage and gave Malone the ball with an opportunity to tie. A layup by Groff on the ensuing possession was too strong and Lake Erie took possession. Chaddock sank four free throws in the final eight seconds to preserve a 65-61 defeat.

Game Highlights

• The Storm outscored Malone 23-13 in the final nine minutes and shot 61.5% in the fourth quarter.
• Malone shot just 33.3% (5-of-15) in the fourth and 37.1% for the game. The final figure accounted for the third-worst shooting percentage by Malone all season.
• The 61 points were also the second-fewest by the Pioneers in a game in 2019-20.
• Lake Erie finished the night with a 40-28 edge in points in the paint while the Pioneers, who have relied heavily on three-point shooting all season, made only 6-of-26 (23.1%) from deep.
   

Pioneer Highlights

• Holly Groff, who was 0-of-8 from three, still finished with a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal in a losing effort.
• Ellen Doyle collected 13 points, six boards, three assists, and a steal.
• Sydney Wentling chipped in nine points while Jade Abdulla, Madison Hunter, and Alexis Hutchison each scored six.
   

Storm Highlights

• Josie Chaddock totaled 17 points, five assists, and two steals.
• Breanna Bauer added 17 points and two blocked shots.
• Ashley West earned a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds along with four assists.

Up Next
Malone and Cedarville will clash this Saturday, February 20th in Osborne Hall. Tip is scheduled for 1:00 pm. The Pioneers defeated the Yellow Jackets 81-74 on the road last week.