The Malone University women's basketball team was unable to sustain its early momentum on Friday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena, falling by a 58-42 final in its non-conference contest against Saint Joseph's (IN) College.
The Pioneers (4-4 overall), who were playing a regular-season game at the "Q" for a third straight season, charged out to an early 8-2 lead, scoring eight straight points after the Pumas (3-7 overall) opened the game with a basket on their first trip down the floor.
Malone's advantage grew to eight points on three separate occasions during the opening period. A trey by guard
Selana Reale made it 20-12 at the 10:54 mark. Guard
Kristen Massey then hit three-pointers on consecutive Pioneer possessions to give Malone leads of 23-15 and 26-18.
However, after connecting on six of its first eight attempts from beyond the arc, the Pioneers' shooting touch cooled off significantly over the remainder of the contest. Saint Joseph's took advantage, clawing back to within 29-28 at the half and then pulling away in the second period by outscoring Malone 30-13 over the final 20 minutes.
Reale finished the afternoon with 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Massey also registered 10 points to go with six boards. Forward
Lindsy Snyder ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds while guard
Rachel Goddard contributed six points, three assists and three blocked shots.
Guard Kiki Wilson led the way for the Pumas with 24 points.
Following a break for Christmas, the Pioneers will return to action on Friday, January 2nd with a 6:00 p.m. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match-up against Saginaw Valley State (MI) University.