CANTON -- The Pioneers hosted their final home game before the Christmas holiday as they hosted the Walsh University Cavaliers on Tuesday for a crosstown rivalry and Great Midwest Athletic Conference game.

The Pioneers (7-2, 3-1 G-MAC) found themselves down 43-40 at halftime, however the Cavaliers (7-2, 3-1 G-MAC) pulled away in the second half to secure the 83-73 win.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Kelsey Swihart's five consecutive points gave Malone a strong start to the game, putting them up 5-2. 

With 3:10 left in the first quarter, Robin Campbell stole the ball off an inbound pass, and quickly converted on a layup to give the Pioneers a four point advantage.

Malone lost their lead early in the second quarter, but three successive three-pointers by Holly Groff put the Pioneers back on top 29-26 with 7:04 left in the second quarter.

Walsh's solid defensive effort caused Malone to go on a scoring drought for three minutes and 37 minutes.

A trey from Emma Kallas and a free throw by Emma Kallas decreased the Cavaliers lead to 43-40 heading into the locker room at the halftime break.

22 seconds into the third quarter, Holly Groff grabbed a rebound and distributed the ball back to Kelsey Swihart for a three-pointer to tie the game at 43 all.

At the 6:52 mark in the third quarter, Walsh was up 47-45, but Alexis Hutchison drilled a three-point basket to give the Pioneers back a 48-47 lead.

The Cavaliers continued to fight and managed to go on a 7-3 run to transition the advantage back to them at 55-50.

Malone answered back after Kelsey Swihart knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 57-57 with less than a minute remaining.

The next possession after Robin Campbell's jumper at the 7:12 mark, Walsh connected on a three-point bucket that gave them their first double-digit lead of the night at 71-61.

2:22 left in the game, the Cavaliers continued to stretch their lead further after a bucket that was beyond the arc to put them at an 80-67 advantage over Malone. A 13 point advantage was Walsh's largest lead of the game. 

The Pioneers tried to claw their way back to a lead, but Walsh held them off to grab a 83-73 victory.


PIONEER POINTS

• Robin Campbell finished with a game-high 18 points to lead Malone's offense. The senior was 6-13 from the field, and was a perfect 6-6 from the foul line.
• Holly Groff added 17 points on 5-8 from beyond the arc. Groff also had a game-high four assists
• Kelsey Swihart scored a season-high 12 points, and grabbed five rebounds.
• As a team, Malone totaled 12 fast break points, and had a 91.7% free throw percentage.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Malone will start a three-game road stretch to finish out the 2021 calendar, beginning with a matchup against West Liberty University. Tip-off in West Virginia is scheduled for Saturday, December 18th at 2:00 p.m.