Box Score

The Malone University men's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon at Osborne Hall with a hard-fought 77-69 home loss to NCAA Division II Tiffin University.  After a closely-contested first half, Saturday's game was knotted at 45-45 five minutes into the second period.  However, the visiting Dragons then took command with a 17-6 scoring run that put them on top 62-51 with a little under ten minutes remaining.  A pair of late three-pointers by Pioneer guard Eric Coblentz cut the deficit to six at 73-67, but Malone was unable to get any closer the rest of the way.  Tiffin improved to 14-13 overall following their fourth straight victory while the Pioneers' record fell to 11-13.

Coblentz came out firing, carrying Malone to an early 12-5 lead after burying his first four attempts from beyond the three-point arc.  The senior from Hartville, Ohio hit nine of 18 shots from the field overall, including seven of 12 treys to finish the afternoon with a team-high 25 points.  Coblentz moved into the Top 25 on the Pioneers' all-time scoring list with Saturday's performance.  After transferring to Malone from the University of Akron following his freshman year, Coblentz has now racked up 1,315 career points during his time in a Pioneer uniform, good for 23rd on the program's all-time list. 

After falling behind early, the Dragons rattled off nine unanswered points to grab a 14-12 advantage.  The two squads then battled back and forth over the remainder of the opening stanza before Tiffin   managed to close out the period with a 7-0 surge to take a 40-35 lead into the locker room at the half.

A pair of free throws by Malone guard Isiah Elliott tied the game for the 11th time at 45-45, but the hosts were unable to pull even again over the remainder of the afternoon.  Tiffin, a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – the same conference which the Pioneers will compete in next season, held a 45-33 advantage on the boards.  The Dragons also blocked six shots and handed out 20 assists. 

Overall, Tiffin connected on 30 of 66 (45.5%) shots from the floor, nine of 20 (45%) three-pointers and eight of nine (88.9%) free throws.  Malone countered by sinking 25 of 65 (38.5%) field goals, 10 of 28 (35.7%) treys and nine of its 10 (90%) foul shots. 

In addition to Coblentz's big night, Malone got 10 points off the bench from forward Zach Bates.  Forward Che Richardson added nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.  Elliott totaled six points, seven boards and four assists.  Forward Cory Veldhuizen also tossed in six points.

Guard Karl Finley registered a game-high 26 points for the Dragons.  Guard Joe Graessie followed closely with 24 points while forward Travis Spahr posted six points to go with 13 boards, three blocked shots, three assists and two steals.

Malone will be back in action on Thursday evening with its final home game of the regular season, a 7:30 p.m. contest against Salem International (WV) University (5-21).  In the January 26th meeting between the two squads earlier this season, the Tigers posted a narrow 89-88 triumph on their home court.  Live streaming video and statistics will be provided free of charge for the re-match.  Click here for links to each.

Postseason Picture: Following the completion of the regular season, Malone will compete in the Ohio Independent Championships, a six-team postseason tournament made up of schools from around the Buckeye State who are current members of NCAA Division II or are in the transition process to become NCAA Division II members.  Participating schools include Cedarville University, Central State University, Notre Dame College, Urbana University and Walsh University. 

The top two OIC teams (based on winning percentage in games against other OIC participants) will earn opening-round byes.  The other four teams will compete in first-round games on Tuesday February 28th with the No. 3 team hosting No. 6 and the No. 4 squad hosting No. 5.  The tournament semifinals and championship game will then be held March 2nd and 3rd (Friday-Saturday) on the home court of the #1 overall seed.

Malone currently owns a 5-4 record in OIC competition and the No. 3 position in the OIC standings.  Cedarville is No. 1 with a 7-1 OIC mark.  Walsh is second at 3-2.  Central State is fourth with a 2-3 OIC tally.  Urbana is fifth at 3-6 while Notre Dame holds a 1-5 mark and the No. 6 position. 

The Pioneers have assured themselves of at least a third or fourth-place OIC finish and could still slide up to the No. 2 position (and earn a first-round bye) with: (1) a victory at Cedarville in their regular-season finale on Saturday AND (2) a Walsh loss at Urbana on Wednesday. 

In addition to their OIC postseason opportunities, Malone could also compete in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) East Region Tournament IF the squad finishes the regular season with at least a .500 record (would need to win Thursday's game vs. Salem International and Saturday's match-up at Cedarville).