The Malone University men's basketball team will usher in the New Year with Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) home games against Ohio Dominican University on Saturday, December 30th and Cedarville University on Tuesday, January 2nd. Both games tip off at 1:00 pm as part of doubleheaders with the Malone women's team. The Malone men enter the homestand 8-4 overall and 7-2 on their own court, but they are just 1-3 in conference.

GameDay
12/30 Malone vs. Ohio Dominican – 1:00 pm
1/2 Malone vs. Cedarville  - 1:00 pm
Video: Both games will be streamed live at: portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
Radio: Fans can also listen over the airways on ESPN 990 AM or www.espn990.com
Promotion: Church Recognition against Cedarville on January 2nd - All local church guests will be offered $1 admission and local pastors will receive free admission and a gift.

Series History
The Pioneers are 59-24 all-time against Ohio Dominican, marking the second-most wins against an opponent in program history (Malone is 63-25 vs. Tiffin). In a non-conference meeting last November, the Pioneers lost to the Panthers 75-58. Malone is 53-42 all-time against cross-state rival Cedarville. The two teams traded lopsided victories last season.

Malone Notes

• The Pioneers are coming off two non-conference victories over Point Park (108-54) and Penn State DuBois (94-52) in which they combined to hit 31 three-pointers. Malone comes into the weekend ranked 1st in the G-MAC and 9th in the nation with 12.0 made three-pointers per game.
• Senior guard Ty Jordan ranks 6th in DII with 46 made threes, including at least two in all 12 games this season. Jordan, who is the G-MAC's leading scorer at 22.0 ppg, tossed in a career-high 41 in Malone's last G-MAC game at Findlay.
• Jordan is one of three players in DII averaging at least 22 points, five rebounds and four assists.  He led Malone with 29 points, seven assists, and five rebounds against PSU DuBois.
• Three days prior, Malone produced its best shooting performance in 15 years, making 65.1% from the field in an easy win over Point Park. All 11 players scored in the game and all shot at least 50%. Junior guard Nate Sheppard scored a team-high 21 points. On the season, Sheppard is averaging 16.9 a game and has six 20-point efforts.
• Senior forward Mitchell Spotleson scored a team-high 24 points in Malone's 86-63 home victory over Cedarville last February and recorded his first 20-point night of this season against PSU DuBois last Tuesday. He is the third Pioneer averaging double digits (12.9 ppg) while also hauling in 6.8 rebounds a night. 
• Daylan Haynie (7.4 ppg) has been excellent running beside Jordan in the Malone backcourt, averaging a team-high 5.3 assists per game, 4th-most in the G-MAC, while shooting 60% from the floor. He is one of two players in the country handing out five or more assists and shooting at least 60%.
• Djuro Pantos (7.3 ppg) has done yeoman's work under the basket, grabbing a team-high 7.5 rebounds a night. He is one of just two players in the G-MAC (with at least 60 shot attempts) shooting 50% from the field, 45% from three, and 80% at the free throw line.
• Freshman sharpshooter Jaret Majestic leads the Malone bench in scoring, averaging 6.0 points in a shade under 12 minutes a contest. He is 20-42 (47.6%) from three-point range this season and 2-of-4 from inside the arc.
• As a team, Malone leads the conference in three-point shooting (41.6%), free throws (75.9%), and field goal defense (40.3%).
• The Pioneers are 4th in the conference in scoring (82.9 ppg) and 2nd in scoring defense (70.2), scoring margin (+12.7 ppg) and assists (18.3 apg).
• At 8-4, Malone is off to its best start to a season since going 10-4 to begin the 2010-11 campaign. The Pioneers can equal that mark with a pair of wins on Hal Smith Court where they are 11-2 in their last 13 home games dating back to last season

Ohio Dominican Notes

• The Panthers (7-5 overall, 2-3 G-MAC) are coming off of a 108-96 win over West Virginia State last Monday (Dec. 18). Two days earlier, they lost an 18-point second-half lead in a 72-67 G-MAC loss to Hillsdale.
• Senior guard Ronnie Williams leads a group of four Panthers averaging double-digit scoring, putting up 13.3 points per game.
• Sophomore forward Hasan Varence (12.9 ppg) leads the team and is 3rd in the G-MAC with 8.3 rebounds a night. He scored a team-high 13 points in ODU's win over Malone last season.
• Senior guard Shemar Waugh (11.9 ppg) scored a team 20 in the win over WVSU. He is 5th in the G-MAC with 5.1 assists per game.
• As a team, Ohio Dominican leads the conference with 18.5 assists per contest. ODU is also third in scoring (83.0 ppg), scoring margin (+12.1 ppg), field goals (49.6 %), field goal defense (41.9%), three-point shooting (38.2%) and threes per game (9.3).

Cedarville Notes

• The Yellow Jackets, who will take on Walsh on Saturday prior to making the trip to Malone on Tuesday,  enter the weekend with a 6-5 overall record and a 1-3 mark in conference. 
• Since starting the year 6-2, Cedarville has dropped three straight, including a 79-78 overtime setback to Findlay in the most recent game on December 16. 
• Cedarville boasts one of the best defenses in the G-MAC, holding opponents to 42.1% from the field and a conference-low 30.2% from three-point range.
• The offense is led by senior guard Patrick Bain, who is second in the G-MAC with 21.0 points per game. Bain also leads the team in rebounds (5.3 rpg), assists (3.3 apg) and shooting (52.1%). He scored a team-high 33 in the loss to Findlay. Bain tossed in 19 in Cedarville's 76-51 win over Malone last January.