January 26, 2008

Houghton Registers 64-53 Victory Over Malone

 
The Malone College women’s basketball team’s three-game road winning streak came to an end on Saturday afternoon as the squad fell 64-53 at Houghton (NY) College.  The Pioneers trailed 35-29 at intermission but then outscored the Highlanders 8-0 over the first six minutes of the second half to take a 37-35 advantage.  The two teams traded the lead back and forth over the next several possessions before Houghton went on an 11-1 run to pull ahead 52-45 with under five minutes remaining.  Malone cut the deficit to four points at 55-51 moments later, but the Highlanders then outscored the Pioneers 9-2 in the final three minutes to secure the 64-53 American Mideast Conference North Division victory.
 
Malone fell to 5-13 overall and 3-3 in the AMC North with the loss while Houghton picked up its first conference win, improving to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the North Division.
 
The Pioneers struggled from the field throughout the game, connecting on just 29% (18 of 62) of their overall shot attempts, including just six of their 28 (21.4%) second-half field goal tries.  Although Houghton was held without a made field goal for the first seven minutes of the second half, the Highlanders still managed to shoot 45.3% (29 of 64) from the field on the afternoon.  Malone held a 47-43 advantage in total rebounds, but Houghton’s stingy defense blocked nine shots, scooped up five steals, and forced 15 Pioneer turnovers.
 
Senior guard Kellyn Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) led the way for Malone with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Junior forward Nicole Feher (Lutheran West H.S.) followed with nine points and ten boards while freshman guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) notched four points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
 
This week, Malone (5-13 overall, 3-3 AMC North) will host a pair of AMC North contests.  The squad will open play on Tuesday with a 5:30 p.m. game against Carlow (PA) University (3-15 overall, 1-6 AMC North) before facing off with Notre Dame (OH) College (16-3 overall, 6-0 AMC North) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
 
This week’s opponents: Carlow- The Pioneers have won all eight of their previous meetings with the Celtics, including a 67-61 win at Carlow earlier this season (January 15th).  Notre Dame- Malone holds a 24-4 lead in the all-time series with the Falcons and has won each of the last nine contests between the two schools. The squads last met on November 10, 2001 at Notre Dame as the Pioneers tallied a 75-63 victory.
 
Pioneer notes: Kellyn Murphy leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game followed by Tara Miller at 8.9 and Allyson Wilson at 7.1…Miller paces the squad in rebounding with 8.3 boards per outing followed by Nicole Feher with 6.6 and Murphy with 5.9…Murphy is also averaging a team-high 1.9 assists per contest.
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