The Malone University men's basketball team staged a late rally on Saturday but couldn't quite overcome its sizable early deficit, falling 62-56 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action at Northwood (MI) University.

The Pioneers (3-5 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) shot just 28.6% (eight of 28) from the floor over the first 20 minutes and trailed 30-17 at halftime as the Timberwolves (5-3 overall, 2-2 GLIAC) outscored Malone 11-2 during the final six minutes of the opening stanza.

Northwood then maintained a double-digit advantage for a majority of the second half until a lay-up by guard Jalen Miller with 6:16 to play sparked a 15-3 Pioneer scoring run that trimmed the Timberwolves' lead to just two at 51-49 with just over two minutes remaining.

Malone was unable to completely close the gap, however, as a Northwood lay-up at the 1:36 mark pushed the margin back to four.  Then, after forcing a turnover on the Pioneers' next possession, the Timberwolves managed to put the game away at the foul line, draining nine of 10 free throws over the remainder of the contest.

Overall, the Timberwolves converted on 23 of 28 (82.1%) attempts from the charity stripe while Malone made just eight trips to the line, making five (62.5%).

Guard Nate Sheppard came off the bench to pace the Pioneers with 13 points.  Forward Neil Gingerich followed with 12 points and six rebounds.  Point guard Ben Haraway contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists.

For Northwood, guard Maurice Jones led the way with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

The Pioneers will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to West Virginia to take on the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, West Liberty University.  Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.