ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Malone University Pioneers lost their First Round game to Northwood University at the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship by a score of 61-57. The nationally-ranked Timberwolves move on to the Second Round with a record of 27-5 while Malone's 2025-26 season comes to an end at 25-7.
 
"I'm super proud of the way our kids battled in this game and all season long," Head Coach Selana Ickes mentioned postgame. "To be 25-7 is a testament to our kids, how hard they work and the time they put in during the offseason."
 
After squaring off against Northwood in the G-MAC Tournament Championship Final, Malone had to face them again less than one week later. "We had the scouting report on our minds for a whole week," Erin Kaufman answered. "It was a matter of executing and having confidence. We went out there and played our hearts out and they did too, they just came out on top."
 
A trio of three-point makes by Northwood put the Timberwolves in front 11-8 at the first media timeout. A pair of baskets by Erin Kaufman gave Malone an early lead, but the opponents were answering two-point field goals with three's. Brinn Hunt made a tough mid-range jumper and Katie Kaufman secured an offensive rebound for an and-one to keep the gap to one possession.
 
At the end of the first quarter, it was 17-15 Northwood. Five of the six made field goals for the Timberwolves were from distance in the period while the Pioneers were 0-for-5. Seven offensive rebounds gave Malone four more attempts, but could not make the most of those opportunities.
 
Back-to-back jump shots by Irene Maroto and Erin Kaufman evened the score at 19-19 in the first two minutes of the second quarter. An 11-0 scoring run for Northwood made it 30-19 and even a timeout by the Pioneers could not stop the run.
 
With 3:36 to go in the period, Hunt knocked down the first three of the game for Malone and helped sparked an 8-0 run themselves. She bookended the total with makes from beyond the three-point line with a layup by Erin Kaufman in between. A make by the Timberwolves put the halftime score at 32-27. A 16-5 scoring difference off of opponent turnovers was key to giving Northwood the five-point edge.
 
The third quarter was a struggle to score on both sides. The Pioneers were 2-of-9 and Timberwolves 1-of-7 from the field at the halfway point of the period. The two teams were once again tied after an and-one by Katie Kaufman and a pair of free throws at 4:42 to go in the third. A late bucket by Northwood gave them a 42-37 lead at the end of the third. The teams combined to go 7-for-28 (25.0%) from the field.
 
The first three made field goals for Malone were all three's to tie the score at 46-46 with 7:20 left on the clock. Meredith Randulic, Hunt and Anna Krupa buried triples during the run. Maroto assisted on all three makes and totaled five in the game. A five-point possession for the Timberwolves helped to put the opposition back in front 51-46. The lead grew to as many as eight at 56-48 with 4:11 remaining.
 
The Pioneers had their backs against the wall and turned to their senior Kaufman for two baskets. A three by Randulic made it a one-possession game at 58-55 with 1:16 to go. Malone got the stop they needed and had the ball with a chance to tie, but a three by Nataley Armstrong was off the mark. Katie Kaufman grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in for two, but it was too little too late and Northwood made enough free throws late to secure the 61-57 win.
 
Erin Kaufman was the team leader in scoring with 16 points. Hunt (13 points) and Katie Kaufman (10 points) were also in double figures. The younger Kaufman secured her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Maroto dished out five of the team's 11 total assists.
 
The Pioneers are a team that relied heavily on their bench unit throughout the year and their contributions were felt in the postseason as well. "We did a good job of telling the underclassmen that you've got to want it. The seniors got us here, but we couldn't have done it without the underclassmen," Hunt said.
 
The Timberwolves had a slight edge shooting the ball at 23-of-56 (41.1%) compared to the Pioneers' 22-of-63 (34.9%). Malone was 6-for-20 (30.0%) from deep and Northwood 8-for-25 (32.0%). Malone had a 43-34 advantage in rebounds, and that led to a 19-8 difference in second chance points. The Timberwolves were effective inside with a 26-18 advantage in the paint.
 
The 2025-26 season will go down as the most successful in the NCAA Division II era. The Pioneers had a .781 winning percentage, the best mark since a 30-3 season under Patty Long in 1982-83. The senior class of Kaufman, Hunt, Armstrong, Krupa and Aila Miller will graduate with a four-year record of 85-38. Kaufman concludes her remarkable career with 1,803 points and 1,020 rebounds, good for fourth and third in program history.