The Malone College women’s basketball team recorded a pair of American Mideast Conference South Division victories last week, beginning with last Tuesday’s 60-56 triumph at Walsh University. Then on Saturday, the Pioneers avenged an early-season road loss to Urbana University with a 68-50 win at home over the Blue Knights. Following the 2-0 week, Malone’s overall record now stands at 13-7 with a 5-3 mark in the AMC South.
In Tuesday’s win over Walsh, the Pioneers made 11 of their 24 (45.8%) first-half field goal attempts to take a 29-23 halftime advantage. Malone maintained a slim lead for most of the second stanza and appeared to have the game in hand in the final minute of the contest after sophomore guard Katie Murphy (St. Vincent/St. Mary H.S.) sunk two free throws to give the Pioneers a 58-53 advantage with just 37 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers made things interesting, though, after they forced a Pioneer turnover on Malone’s next possession and then nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 58-56. The ensuing inbounds pass was then stolen by Walsh but Katie Murphy was able to immediately steal the ball back and cement the 60-56 victory after she sank two more clutch free throws in the final seconds. Senior forward Nikki Parson (Garaway H.S.) paced the Pioneers with 14 points. Junior forward Cara Shiplett (Northwest H.S.) followed with 12 points and 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season while junior guard Kellyn Murphy (St. Vincent/St. Mary) added nine points, six rebounds and four assists. Katie Murphy finished the game with four points, all of which came on free throws in the final minute of the contest.
In Saturday’s game with Urbana, the Blue Knights jumped out to an early 19-12 advantage before Malone stormed back with an 18-2 run over the final 11 minutes of the first half to take a 30-21 halftime lead. The Pioneers then increased their advantage to as many as 21 points in the second half as they cruised to the 68-50 win. Although Malone committed 28 turnovers in the contest, the squad was able to control the paint as they out-rebounded Urbana 49-30. Shiplett led the way for the Pioneers with a game-high 22 points (6-12 FG, 10-11 FT) followed by Parson with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Kellyn Murphy added seven points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Nicole Feher (Lutheran West H.S.) pulled down nine boards.
This week, Malone (13-7, 5-3 AMC S) will host NAIA Division II #5 Cedarville University (15-4, 7-1 AMC S) at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday before traveling to Tiffin University (7-10, 4-4 AMC S) on Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. contest.
This week’s opponents: Cedarville- The Yellow Jackets hold a 17-12 advantage in the all-time series with the Pioneers and swept both contests last season with victories of 93-89 (at Malone) and 85-61 (at Cedarville). Cedarville has won the last nine meetings between the two schools. Tiffin- The Dragons have won four out of the last six contests with the Pioneers and lead the all-time series 17-15. Tiffin took both of last year’s meetings, including a 79-74 victory at Tiffin and a 67-54 win at Malone.
Malone Notes: Nikki Parson leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game followed by Cara Shiplett at 14.6 and Kellyn Murphy at 9.9…Parson also paces the squad in rebounding with 8.8 boards per outing followed closely by Shiplett with 8.7…Murphy leads the team with 3.2 assists per game.
The Malone College men’s basketball team suffered a hard-fought 80-74 road loss to NAIA Division II #11 Walsh University last Tuesday before bouncing back on Saturday to end its three-game losing streak with a 97-78 home win over Urbana University. With the 1-1 week in conference play, Malone’s overall record now stands at 12-7 with a 2-5 mark in the American Mideast Conference South Division.
Tuesday’s loss to Walsh marked the Cavaliers' sixth straight win in the Walsh-Malone series and they have won 15 of the last 16 meetings. The Pioneers came out shooting 52.0% (13-25) in the first half of Tuesday night’s contest and led by as many as four points before Walsh rallied late in the period to tie the game 35-35 at halftime. The teams battled back and forth at the start of the second stanza before the Cavaliers went on an 11-0 run midway through the period to take a 56-46 lead with over 12 minutes remaining in the game. Things got worse for the Pioneers moments later as the squad’s leading scorer, junior forward Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.), fouled out of the contest at the 11:18 mark. Malone persevered down the stretch and was able to keep the score close over the final 10 minutes of the contest but could not completely close the gap as the Cavaliers hung on for the 80-74 victory. Walsh seemed to find its shooting stroke in the second half as it made 14 of 26 (53.8%) second-half field goal attempts, including five out of 10 (50%) shots from behind the three-point arc. Junior post player Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) paced the Pioneers with a season-high 19 points in addition to pulling down 11 boards. Junior guard Ben Carver (Shelby H.S.) followed with 15 points while Renner posted 12 points and six rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. Senior guard Jesse Schlabach (Lake H.S.) added 11 points with senior guard Chris Miller (Hiland H.S.) contributing nine points. Miller and Renner both reached career milestones in the rivalry game as Miller surpassed 1500 career points and Renner topped 500 career rebounds. Miller is now 12th on the Pioneers’ all-time scoring list with 1518 career points while Renner’s 509 career boards rank as the 23rd highest rebounding total in Malone men’s basketball history.
Saturday’s "Malone Athletics Hall of Fame Night" win over Urbana marked the Pioneers’ eighth straight victory over the Blue Knights. Malone has now won 18 out of the last 19 meetings between the two schools. The Pioneers shot over 50% (17-33) from the field in the first half of Saturday’s game to take a commanding 47-34 advantage at halftime. Malone then maintained a sizable lead throughout the second period as the squad cruised to the 97-78 victory. Renner paced five Pioneers in double figures with 20 points (9-13 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 2-2 FT) in addition to pulling down seven boards and dishing out four assists. Schlabach followed with 18 points and five assists while Miller added 16 points and three steals. Humphrey contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in just 25 minutes of play. In addition, freshman guard Linc Rottman (Triway H.S.) came off the bench to contribute 12 points.
The five newest inductees to the Malone Athletics Hall of Fame were recognized at halftime of the men's contest. Tom Crank ('88, baseball), Sean James ('96, football), Mark McClure ('91, track & field) and Deb (Moyer) Gaddis ('94, basketball, tennis) were recognized while Rick Mast ('96, basketball), who was unable to attend any of this year's event due to the passing away of his mother, will be recognized at the 2008 Hall of Fame ceremonies.
This week, Malone (12-7, 2-5 AMC S) continues conference play on Tuesday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against NAIA Division II #20 Cedarville University (12-5, 6-2 AMC S). The squad will then face Tiffin University (1-15, 1-7 AMC S) on the road Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
This week’s opponents:
Cedarville- The Yellow Jackets have won six out of the last seven meetings with the Pioneers although Malone holds a 52-32 advantage in the all-time series. Cedarville swept both contests last season, winning 98-74 (at Malone) and 86-84 (at Cedarville).
Tiffin- Malone leads the all-time series with the Dragons 51-20 and defeated Tiffin twice last season, winning 83-77 (at Tiffin) and 87-85 (at Malone). The Pioneers have won six out of the last seven meetings between the two schools.
Malone Notes: Tyler Renner has tallied 18.8 points per game this season to lead a balanced Pioneer offensive attack that currently features five players who average more than 10 points per outing…Renner also paces the squad in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game followed by Shane Humphrey with 6.5…Ben Carver leads the team in assists at 3.5 per game.
Men's, Women's Track & Field Competes At Kent State Meet; Several Qualify For NAIA Indoor Nationals
The Malone College men's and women's indoor track & field teams competed at the Doug Raymond Open at Kent State University last Saturday and several Pioneer athletes qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
For the men, Nik Schweikert (So., Beavercreek H.S.) and Paul Robinson (Fr., Field H.S.) each pocketed automatic qualifying marks as they finished fourth (8:36.31) and fifth (8:36.87), respectively, in the 3000 meters while Chris Sinick (Fr., Field H.S.) finished 11th overall (8:54.47) to post a provisional qualifying mark. In addition, among top-five finishers, Shane McLaughlin (Fr., Caldwell H.S.) finished third in the high jump (6' 2.75"), Jon Easterling (So., Ashtabula H.S.) placed fourth in the 800 meters (2:01.64), Josh Gortney (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.) finished fourth in the pole vault (14' 1.25") and the men's 4x400-meter relay of Easterling, Josh Chaffin (So., Norwayne H.S.), McLaughlin and Trent Gardner (Fr., Northwest H.S.) took fifth in a time of 3:42.46.
For the women, the 4x400-meter relay team of Kim Winton (So., Medina H.S.), Megan Patton (So., Perry H.S.), Brittany Davies (Sr., Cedarville H.S.) and Vallie Scott (So., West Branch H.S.) posted a provisional qualifying mark as they finished sixth in a time of 4:07.00. In addition, Ashley Currence (Sr., East Canton H.S.) finished fourth in the triple jump at 35' 2.5".
This week, the teams will compete at the Marietta College Open on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
