NORTH CANTON, Ohio – A career-high 28 points from junior center Erin Kaufman led the Malone University women's basketball team to a 63-49 triumph over the Walsh University Cavaliers on Thursday evening. Kaufman was 11-of-15 from the field and tallied eight rebounds as well.
 
"We were looking to go inside-out to get open looks based off how they were playing it and we were able to cut and dive if we found our timing," Kaufman mentioned postgame. "We just try to keep our focus on one game at a time and try not to look too far ahead."
 
It is the team's tenth consecutive win to move to 15-2 and Malone remains perfect at 9-0 inside the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Cavaliers fall to 8-12 overall and 3-9 in conference play.
 
The Pioneers dominated the glass 39-23 with an 11-2 edge on the offensive end. Malone held a 38-22 advantage in paint points. Walsh was held to 18.8% (3-of-16) from long range.
 
The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead with an 11-2 scoring run fueled by excellent defense. Active hands and constant pressure forced turnovers and wild shots for the Cavaliers during that span. Walsh would quickly retaliate and even the score at 11 apiece at the first media timeout. Malone looked inside to Kaufman to claim a 17-16 advantage through one quarter.
 
The lead would grow to eight as the teams went to halftime. A pair of makes by Abbey Price gave the team a two-possession lead at the media timeout and a putback by Nataley Armstrong at the buzzer put the score at 32-24 at the halfway point.
 
The Pioneers continued to extend the gap with a 17-16 victory in the third quarter as well. Malone found Anna Krupa on a long outlet pass for two before Kylee Bruce buried the first three-point basket for the team after starting 0-for-8. Kaufman had eight points in the quarter to continue her scoring barrage.
 
A pair of triple's by Krupa put the contest out of reach for the opponents in the fourth quarter and sucked all of the momentum out of the building. A 14-9 difference in scoring in the period resulted in the 63-49 win.
 
The road trip continues for the Pioneers on Saturday, January 25 when the team travels to Kentucky Wesleyan College to face the Panthers at 12:45 P.M. CST (1:45 P.M. EST).