Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

With 13 of her 22 points coming in the first half, Debbiey Simmers of Anchorage gave Malone the momentum it needed to top Hillsdale.

The 5-foot-9 senior guard came off the bench to collect her highest scoring game in a month to key a 77-69 victory in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Simmers, of ACS fame, made 9-of-13 shots en route to making a season-high .692 percentage. She is averaging 12.2 points in 26 games this season on 43 percent shooting.

Thanks to her big first-half effort, Malone took a 39-29 lead into halftime. Foul trouble forced Simmers to the bench early in the second half.

Without the former Alaska player of the year, Malone’s offense stalled and Hillsdale found its rhythm to tie the game at 56-56.

Enter Simmers, who took over.

She re-entered and re-energized her team, pumping in seven unanswered points to get Malone back on the right track.

The Pioneers [18-8] have won three games in a row to wrap up a GLIAC playoff berth.