CANTON, Ohio -- On Wednesday, the Malone University women's basketball team hosted the Fighting Scots of Ohio Valley inside the friendly confines of Osborne Hall. 

The Pioneers (4-7, 4-7 G-MAC) never trailed in the ballgame. They built up an early double-digit lead in the first quarter, and continued to pull away from the Fighting Scots (0-3, 0-3)  the rest of the contest on their way to a 98-75 win. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Alexis Hutchison opened up the scoring with a layup, and after OVU countered with a basket of their own, the Pioneers grabbed a commanding lead with a 12-0 run. Madison Hunter scored six of those points, while Holly Groff and Mikayla Poole each connected on three-pointers to give Malone a 14-2 advantage. 

The Pioneers went on to outscore the Scots 12-7 over the rest of the quarter to take 26-9 lead. 

In the second quarter, Ohio Valley made some adjustments on the offensive end, but still could not shut Malone down enough to get back into the game. The two teams effectively traded baskets for the majority of the period, with the Pioneers having a quick answer for every Fighting Scot basket.

Malone was 40% from the field in the quarter, including a three made baskets from distance to help take a 45-25 lead to the halftime locker room. 

The halftime stoppage did little to throw off Malone's offensive rhythm as they shot a blistering 57.8% from the field in the third period. Holly Groff connected on four more three-pointers to help the Pioneers push their advantage out to 73-51.

Malone was forced to keep pushing the issue offensively in the fourth as Ohio Valley refused to go away quietly.

The Pioneers opened up the quarter with five quick points to take a 27-point lead, but the Scots quickly answered with six points of their own to make it a 78-57 game.

The Malone lead hovered around 20-25 points the rest way, as the Pioneers threatened to score 100 points for the second time this season. Vanessa Sales connected on the team's fourteenth made three-pointer in the final seconds to help close out the 98-75 win.

PIONEER POINTS

• Holly Groff had her best performance of the season, connecting on nine shots from three-point range to finish with a game-high 29 points. That mark ties her season-high set on January 4 at Kentucky Wesleyan. The nine three-pointers in a single game are tied for the second most in Malone history, and she now holds the top three marks. She matched her performance against Hillsdale last season, and trails only last year's effort against Findlay (11 made threes).

• Robin Campbell finished the night with 12 points, while Emma Kallas totaled 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Pioneers.

• It was the offense that created the headlines for Malone, but their effort on the defensive end of the floor certainly provided a spark. The Pioneers forced 15 Ohio Valley turnovers, and made 12 steals. Those opportunities translated into a 24-11 advantage in the points off turnovers category. Alexis Hutchison led the way with four steals and Nikki Weber finished with three. 

• 98 points is the second-most Malone has scored in a game this season as back in December they beat Lake Erie College 112-63. The Pioneers now hold two of the top three scoring outputs inside the G-MAC this season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Malone heads back out on the road this weekend for a G-MAC matchup at Ursuline College. Saturday's tip-off from Pepper Pike is set for 2:00 p.m, and will have live coverage on the Great Midwest Digital Network.