CANTON – On Saturday the women's basketball team will welcome #2 Ashland University as they return to play in Osborne Hall for another Great Midwest Athletic Conference contest.

Matchup: Malone University Pioneers (12-10, 8-8 G-MAC) vs #2 Ashland University (22-2, 17-1 G-MAC)
Where: Canton, Ohio | Osborne Hall
When: Saturday, February 19 | 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: Malone University Ticket Office 
Live Video Stream: Great Midwest Digital Network
Live Stats: Great Midwest Digital Network

Final Road Game Results In Loss For Pioneers
On Thursday night, the Pioneers traveled to Tiffin University for their final road game of season. While Malone was able to get a five point lead early in the first quarter, the Dragons would come back to score nine unanswered and gave them a 30-24 lead into the halftime locker room. 

The Pioneers would answer in the third quarter, outscoring Tiffin 17-14, to bring the game within one possession, but Tiffin extended their lead to finish the night with a 64-56 win.

Despite the loss, Holly Groff and Alexis Hutchison led Malone with 15 and 14 points respectively. Robin Campbell pulled down six rebounds and dished out four assists. With her eight points, Campbell moves into 10th place on the Malone All-Time Scoring List and sits in third place on Malone's All-Time Assist List with 390.

Campbell (13.6), Groff (13.5), and Hutchison (12.7) lead the Pioneers in scoring, with all of them averaging double-digits. 

Hardwood Series
Saturday will be the 26th all-time meeting between Ashland and Malone, the Eagles lead the series 16-9. Ashland has won the last six in a row against the Pioneers.

The most recent match up was in December of 2021 at Ashland. The Eagles, who were ranked #8 at the time, pulled away from the Pioneers in the second half for the 77-58 win. The trio of Campbell (14), Hutchison (13), and Groff (11) led the Pioneers in scoring. Groff and Madison Hunter both pulled down 5 rebounds each as Malone outscored Ashland 40-36 inside of the paint and outrebounded the Ashland 28-27.

Knowing Your Opponent
Ashland University comes into Osborne Hall after forcing #23 Walsh University into overtime, but the Cavaliers were able to come away with the 83-76 win. Thursday's game was Ashland's first loss to a GMAC team, and only their second loss of the season as Walsh snapped the Eagles' 19 game win streak.

Annie Roshak and Karlee Pireu provided the bulk of the Eagle offense. Roshak scored 24 points, had nine rebounds, and two assists while Pireu scored 20 points, added nine rebounds and two assists. As a team, Ashland scored 44 points in the paint and 17 points off Walsh turnovers.

As released by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Tuesday February 15th, Ashland is the No. 2-ranked squad in NCAA Division II. Within the GMAC, the Eagles have the highest scoring margin, averaging 78.9 points per game while keeping their opponents to just 57.4 points.

Looking Ahead
The final week of the regular season will involve three games for the Pioneers, all at home. The first will be on Tuesday February 22nd as Tiffin University comes to Osborne for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.