CANTON – The Pioneers will head on the road for a Saturday afternoon non-conference game against the Hilltoppers of West Liberty University in West Liberty, WV. 

Malone comes into the game as the leader in team field goal percentage, shooting 48.5% from the court and tied with Walsh for the second spot in conference standings.

Matchup: Malone Pioneers (7-2, 3-1 G-MAC) vs West Liberty University (8-3, 4-2 Mountain East Conference).
Where: West Liberty, West Virginia
When: Saturday, December 17 | 2:00 p.m.
Live Video Stream: MEC TV
Live Stats: West Liberty University Sports Information Office

Cavaliers Offense was too Much for Pioneers
On Tuesday, Malone played their third game in six days when they hosted crosstown rival Walsh University. While the first three quarters of play were close between the two teams, the fourth quarter belonged to Walsh as they expanded their two point lead after 30 minutes of play into a ten point victory.

While the outcome was not the desired one for the Pioneers who were looking for their 5th straight win this season, Robin Campbell scored a team-high 18 points, was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe and pulled down five rebounds. 

Holly Groff went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc on her way to score 17 points. She also dished out a team-high four assists. Groff enters Saturday's game with 323 career assists placing her 5th on the Malone Women's Basketball All-Time Assists List. 

Freshman Kelsey Swihart rounded out the double digit scorers against the Cavaliers with 12 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Emma Kallas pulled down a team high 6 rebounds all of which came on the defensive end of the court. Malone shot 44.6% from the field and scored 12 points in fast breaks, but the Cavaliers 83 points and 25 defensive rebounds (38 total rebounds) was too much for the Pioneers.

Hardwood Series
Saturday's match up will be the ninth all-time meeting between the Pioneers and the Hilltoppers with Malone holding a 5-3 series lead.

Last time these two tipped off was in December of 2019 where West Liberty came out of Osborne Hall with an 82-76 victory. The game was fraught with 44 combined fouls. West Liberty sank 17-of-18 and Malone went 21-of-26 at the charity stripe. At the time, Malone's 76 points were the second-most in a loss across the previous five seasons.

Knowing Your Opponent
The West Liberty University Hilltoppers are coming off a 51-point home win over Bluefield State College on Thursday night. The Hilltoppers held the Big Blues to just 11 first-half points and poured in 53 points over the final two quarters on their way to the blowout win. 

Bailee Smith finished the game with 20 points, a game-high eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Corinne Thomas (19), Arriana Manzay (17), and Karly McCutcheon (14) also contributed double-digit scores. Audrey Tingle also finished with a game-high eight rebounds, and dished out seven assists and six points.

West Liberty held Bluefield State to only one double-digit scorer and a 27.6% (16-58) shooting from the field.

Looking Ahead
The Pioneers will continue their road stand to finish the 2021 calendar year with a trip to Pepper Pike, Ohio for the rescheduled game against the Ursuline College Arrows. Tip off on December 20th is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.