NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- The Malone University women's basketball team made the short 4.4 mile drive across town to take on rival Walsh University on Saturday afternoon. 

The Cavaliers (9-4, 9-4 G-MAC) jumped out to a big 50-28 lead at halftime. Despite a massive third quarter effort from the Pioneers (6-9, 6-9 G-MAC), Walsh was able to hold off the comeback and close out the afternoon with a 79-65 win.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
The Cavaliers seemingly could not miss early on in the game, shooting nearly 60% from the field in the first half to help build up their lead.

Walsh grabbed their first double-digit advantage midway through the first quarter, and the Pioneers were only able to get as close as 26-15 early on in the second. Unfortunately the Cavaliers pulled away again, and carried a 50-28 lead to the halftime locker room.

Things changed in the third quarter however. Back-to-back baskets from Alexis Hutchison to go along with a layup from Robin Campbell made it 50-34. The Pioneers defense continued to pressure Walsh. Malone actually limited the Cavaliers to just seven points in the entire quarter. 

Nikki Weber drilled a three-pointer to get the Pioneers to within 13 points with 4:23 left in the quarter. A few possessions later she made it a 12 point game on a layup. Malone's defense continued to hold strong, and Holly Groff converted on a fastbreak layup near the end quarter to cut the Walsh lead down to 57-47 with only ten minutes remaining in the game. 

A three-point play from Campbell early in the fourth got the lead down to single digits at 59-50, but Walsh was able to regroup. By the five minute mark of the final quarter they had their lead back out to 71-50. They held off another late Pioneer comeback attempt down the stretch to close out the 79-65 win.

PIONEER POINTS

• Alexis Hutchison notched a new career-high in points. She led all Malone scorers with 22. She finished 9-16 from the field, including 2-4 from beyond the three-point line.

• Robin Campbell was reinserted into the starting lineup for the first time since January 16, and she responded with 15 points. The junior guard has now topped at least 10 points in all but two games this season. 

• Holly Groff rounded out the double-digit scorers for Malone with 14 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. She was also 2-4 from distance, and led the team's efforts on the boards with six rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Malone returns home next weekend for a pair of G-MAC games. First up will be a matchup with the Hillsdale College Chargers on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.