GREENSBURG, Pa. - The Malone University women's basketball team simmered an explosive Seton Hill University offense on Tuesday afternoon for an 81-72 victory, their third in a row to begin 2025-26. The Griffins fall to 1-2 following the loss.
 
The duo of senior Erin Kaufman and junior Elena Oliver were nearly unstoppable from inside. Kaufman went for 26 points, 16 rebounds and collected four steals in the win. She had a double-double before the first half came to a close. Oliver was efficient from the field at 7-for-9 and finished with 15 points and nine boards.
 
As a team, the Pioneers were 16-of-19 from the free throw line (84.2%) and held a 46-32 advantage on rebounds. Malone was able to overcome 29 turnovers that led to 33 points on the other end by Seton Hill.
 
The first half defense was superb as the Pioneers held the Griffins to 10-of-39 from the field (25.6%) and 3-of-18 from deep (16.7%). A 7-0 run for Malone in the middle of the first period helped give the visitors a 15-12 edge through the first ten minutes of play.
 
In the second quarter, that led was extended to as many as 15 when senior Anna Krupa scored on a layup in the midst of a 13-3 run. Sophomore Kylee Bruce sparked the rally with a made jump shot in the paint and back-to-back three's by Krupa and freshman Bridget Barber helped to widen the gap. Kaufman scored on a putback just before the first half buzzer to go up 36-23 at the break.
 
Sophomore Abbey Price matched a three-point play by Seton Hill with a successful shot from beyond the arc, but the Griffins found some momentum to get back in the game. A 10-0 run cut the lead all the way down to three at 39-36, but the Pioneers never relinquished the lead. Once more, it was Kaufman with a bucket just before the end of the period that put the lead at 58-48 going into the fourth.
 
Oliver had two layups in a 6-0 spurt to begin the fourth quarter that helped squash any hopes of a comeback for Seton Hill. The Griffins got to as close as seven at 79-72 with a few seconds left to play, but Kaufman was a perfect 6-for-6 on freebies in the final two minutes to keep the opponents at arm's length.
 
Malone looks to follow up on the 81-72 win in their next game at home versus Roosevelt University. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe will step into Osborne Hall on Friday, November 21 beginning at 5:30 P.M.