Box Score

Make it four in a row to start the season for the Malone University women's basketball team.  In Malone's Osborne Hall on Wednesday evening, the Pioneers tallied a 78-70 come-from-behind win over non-conference foe Ursuline College to keep their record perfect, now at 4-0 overall.  The Arrows dropped to 2-3 on the season.

Not since the 2006-07 Malone women's team started out at 8-0 has the program won four or more contests to start the campaign.

In the first half, neither team led by more than four points for most of the period until Ursuline took a 24-19 lead with 6:19 left.   The visitors would hold a 10-point lead, at 36-26 with 1:47 remaining, before settling for a 40-33 lead over the hosts at the intermission.

The Arrows started to build their lead early in the second half and extended it to the largest of the game at 52-39 with 16:22 left before the Pioneer comeback began. Over the next nine minutes, Malone methodically chipped away at the Ursuline lead until, with 7:26 left in the game, the Pioneers grabbed their first lead since the middle of the first half by pulling ahead 64-63 on a jumper by guard Deborah Simmers. From then on, Malone would not be denied and closed out the contest with a 14-7 run for the eight-point win.

Although the Arrows held the advantage in shooting percentage, at 50.9% (28-55) to Malone's 39.1% (25-64), including three-point percentage as well at 29.2% (7-24) to the Pioneers' 26.3% (5-19), it was at the free throw line that the hosts took control of the game.  Although fouls were fairly even with 20 called on Ursuline and 17 on Malone, the Pioneers went to the stripe much more often and converted an impressive 23 of 27 for 85.2% while Ursuline sank seven of nine for 77.8%.  In addition, the Pioneers' convincing 44-24 advantage on the boards was another key factor in the Malone victory.

Guard Selana Reale paced Malone for the second straight contest, on this night with 19 points, including three baskets from long range and a 4-of-4 effort at the line.  In addition, she tallied four rebounds, a team-best three steals, two assists and a block.

Guard Sydnee Penn racked up 15 points (4-7 FG, 1-2 3FG, 6-8 FT), yanked down six rebounds and also collected two steals and two assists.  Simmers and forward Tara Shaffter also hit twin-figures in scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively.  Simmers and Shaffter also added six rebounds each to the Pioneer cause. 

Forward Lindsy Snyder and guard Leslie Raifsnider both pocketed nine points on the night with Snyder chalking up a game-high eight rebounds.

Emma Ricketts led Ursuline with 22 points as Tajanee Wells followed with 21 points.  Wells paced the squad in rebounds with five.

In just over a week, the Pioneers will be back in action, travelling north to NCAA Division II #22 Michigan Tech University (1-2) on Thursday, December 5th for a 5:30 p.m. contest.