ASHLAND, Ohio - The Malone University women's basketball team played in the second game of the 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament Semifinals against Hillsdale College (21-8) on Friday evening at Ashland University. Despite a late game push that gave Malone a chance to tie at the buzzer, the Pioneers came up just short on their final possession 54-51 to the Chargers.
 
Malone relied on their outside shooting throughout the first half as Hillsdale made inside scoring difficult. The Pioneers experienced a cold stretch as the Chargers were able to push the lead to double-digits at 20-10. An Erin Kaufman layup trimmed the Hillsdale lead to eight with just under four minutes to go in the first half. Brooklyn Troyer was able to hit a transition three-pointer to regain some momentum. Troyer nailed a contested layup with 38 seconds left in the first half as the Pioneers still found themselves trailing by nine points at that half, 26-17.
 
The Pioneers continued to battle to keep the game close in the second half despite their poor shooting. Malone continued to cut into the Hillsdale lead, but the opponents would counter at every bucket. Troyer was able to score two layups putting the Pioneers only down five, 37-32, at the end of the third.
 
A Charger three-pointer put Malone down 12 just inside of eight minutes left in the game. When hope seemed lost, the Pioneers were able to turn it on in the fourth quarter for a comeback attempt. Kyli Horn and Kaufman buried three-point field goals to cut Hillsdale's lead in half at 44-38 with 6:44 to go in the fourth. The Chargers pushed the lead back up to 11 at the halfway point of the period, but once again, Malone stayed engaged.
 
 A 10-1 Pioneer scoring run made it a one-possession game at 50-48, capped off by a three by Horn. She would strike once more with 30 seconds left to play with another three that countered a made field goal by Hillsdale. The Chargers made both free throws on the intentional foul to set up Malone with an opportunity to tie. Good perimeter defense by Hillsdale did not allow the Pioneers to get a shot up, but a foul with two seconds remaining gave Malone one final opportunity. A heavily contested three by Horn just missed the mark to bounce the Pioneers from the G-MAC Tournament.
 
Troyer led Malone with a season-high 21 points. Kaufman was also in double figures with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The Pioneers were outrebounded 49-35 and surrendered 13 unanswered second chance points. Nataley Armstrong was credited with six assists.
 
The continuation of Malone's season now rests in the hands of the NCAA Postseason Selection Committee. The Pioneers are in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show is on Sunday, March 9 at 10:30 P.M.