Box Score

The Malone University men's basketball team fell on the road by a final score of 87-44 Wednesday night in its match-up with NCCA Division I Bowling Green State University.  The Pioneers trailed 41-24 at halftime before the Falcons pulled away in the second stanza, outscoring Malone by a 46-20 margin over the final 20 minutes.  The Pioneers' overall record slipped to 5-4 following the tough loss while BGSU improved to 5-3.

In front of 1350 fans at Bowling Green State's brand new Stroh Center, the home team charged out to an early lead by scoring the first ten points of the evening.  Guard Eric Coblentz managed to answer for the visitors, hitting a driving layup and a three-pointer on consecutive trips down the floor to cut the Falcon lead in half.

After BGSU's advantage grew to 26-14 midway through the opening stanza, Malone rallied back with an 8-2 surge, trimming the deficit to 28-22 on a three-pointer by forward Che Richardson with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half.

However, Malone was unable to get any closer from that point on as the Falcons closed out the first half on a 13-2 scoring run to take the17-point advantage into the locker room at intermission. 

Bowling Green State then knocked down 21 of 31 (67.7%) second-half shot attempts to put the game out of reach.

On the evening, the Falcons drilled 63.9% (39 of 61) of their field goal attempts and enjoyed a 42-34 advantage on the boards. The hosts also connected on three of 10 (30%) three-pointers and six of nine (66.7%) free throws.  Malone struggled to get its offense on track against BGSU's sizable lineup as the Pioneers were held to 24.2% (15 of 62) shooting over the course of the game while being outscored by a 58-16 margin in the paint.  Malone hit 10 of 14 (71.4%) foul shots but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just four of 23 (17.4%) treys. 

Already without forward Zach Wasson, who was unable to play on Wednesday evening due to an ankle injury, the Pioneers' front line was even further depleted midway through the first half when forward Cory Veldhuizen had to leave the game with a leg injury (Veldhuizen left the court under his own power but was unable to return). 

Malone forward Zach Bates ended the night with a team-high 10 points.  Coblentz followed with eight points and five rebounds.  Richardson also tallied eight points while grabbing four steals.  Forward Bradson Ephraim added six points and a game-high nine rebounds.  Guard Isiah Elliott also made substantial contributions with six points, four rebounds and two assists.

Forward A'uston Calhoun led the way for Bowling Green State with 20 points on nine of nine shooting from the field.  Calhoun also connected on two of three free throw attempts and grabbed six rebounds.

The Pioneers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as they host Waynesburg (PA) College in a 4:00 p.m. contest.

Live video and live stats will be available on-line for fans who cannot make it to Osborne Hall to catch the game in person.