(CANTON, Ohio) – A second-half surge helped Walsh defeat rival Malone 63-54 in the first meeting between the two rivals this season. The Cavaliers (10-7, 7-4) were down 34-30 to the Pioneers (7-9, 5-7) at the half, but used a 19-8 surge in the third quarter to take and hold onto the lead for the remainder of the game.

Down 42-41 midway through the third, Tyler Newkirk scored on a layup to put Walsh ahead for the final time. It also started a 14-0 run on seven consecutive layups. Four of those came from Alex Hochstedler who scored all 14 of her points in the second half.

The inside game worked well for the Cavs who outscored the Pioneers 44-22 inside the paint. Walsh also had a presence outside as Kimmie Borck led the Cavs with 17 points with three 3-pointers. She gave Walsh a spark in the first half as she scored 12 points during that time. Overall Borck was 7-of-11 from the field.

Shelby Henkel was a force on the glass as she pulled down a season-best 10 rebounds to reach double-figures.

Malone was led by Holly Groff who scored a game-high 20 points. However, the Cavs did well shutting her down in the second half as only six of those came in the third and fourth frames.

Walsh now heads on the road for the final three games of the month with the first two taking place next weekend in West Virginia. The Cavs will visit Philippi first on Thursday to take on Alderson Broaddus. Tip-off with the Battlers is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.