CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University women's basketball team came up short in a battle of teams on the cusp of being nationally-ranked on Tuesday evening by a score of 79-66. Shooting woes by the Pioneer offense in the first quarter put the team in a hole and a 29-13 difference in points on turnovers allowed Seton Hill to pull away for the win.
 
Junior Erin Kaufman led Malone with 14 points and nine rebounds. Seniors Brooklyn Troyer (12 points) and Kyli Horn (11 points) were also in double figures. Junior Anna Krupa was solid off the bench with eight points and eight rebounds.
 
The Griffins opened up a 23-12 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 5-for-6 effort from beyond the arc. A 7-0 run in a matter of seconds for Seton Hill took a one-point lead and turned it into an eight-point lead at 17-9 with 3:56 to play in the period. They extended the lead to double figures with a make from three on their next offensive possession.
 
After falling behind by 14 at one point in the second quarter, the Pioneers drew back to even just before the end of the first half. Junior Aila Miller buried a try from behind the line to spark an 11-0 scoring run for the Pioneers. Freshman Kylee Bruce chipped in during the scoring spurt and Kaufman finished it off with an and-one to make it 37-37. The Griffins sunk another three-point try just before the halftime break to claim a 40-37 edge.
 
The full court pressure put on by Seton Hill seemed like it worked to perfection in causing turnovers and bad shots for Malone in the third quarter. The Griffins were able to win the third 20-15 and took the fourth quarter by a 19-14 difference. Seton Hill remains unbeaten after the 79-66 victory at 7-0 while the Pioneers fall to 5-2.
 
Malone was held to a season-low 31.7% (20-for-63) at game's end and just 20.0% (5-for-25) from long range. The Pioneers would take advantage of opportunities at the charity stripe at 77.8% (21-of-27). The rebounding battle was even at 44 apiece and the Pioneers outrebounded the opponents on the offensive end 18-15. Freshman Abbey Price was credited with four of the team's six assists and Seton Hill distributed the ball well for 18 dimes on 31 made field goals.
 
Up next is Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play as the Pioneers face the University of Findlay on the road on Thursday, December 5 beginning at 5:30 P.M.