The Malone University men's and women's basketball teams have each earned spots in the semifinal round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament after each squad went on the road and picked up opening-round victories Thursday night.  Malone, in its first year of NCAA postseason eligibility, is one of only two GLIAC institutions that had both basketball squads advance to the semifinals.

The Pioneer women, seeded fifth among the eight-team tournament field, travelled to fourth-seeded Ashland University and pulled out a 56-54 victory over this year's GLIAC South Division Regular Season Champions.  Thursday's win marked the second time this season that Malone knocked off the defending NCAA Division II National Champions on their home court.  The Pioneers overcame deficits at the start of each half and then used some stingy defensive play over the final four minutes to secure the two-point triumph.  Malone will travel to Wayne State (MI) University in Detroit on Saturday for a 1:07 p.m. semifinal match-up against the top-seeded Warriors.  The other women's semifinal will be played at 3:07 p.m. and features second-seeded Northern Michigan University against third-seeded Michigan Tech University.  Wayne State's Matthaei Center will host the women's championship game at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.

Click here for a complete recap of Thursday's win over Ashland: http://www.malonepioneers.com/news/2014/3/5/WBB_0305141949.aspx?path=wbball

The eighth-seeded Malone men ventured to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and knocked off top-seeded Lake Superior State University with a 73-65 triumph.  The Lakers had claimed the GLIAC North Division Regular-Season Title, were ranked 21st in the most recent NCAA Division II National Poll and had lost just twice on their home court all season.  However, Malone used a fast start to build a 41-23 halftime lead and then held off a second-half surge by LSSU to cement the upset victory.  The Pioneers will travel to Findlay, Ohio on Saturday for a semifinal match-up against fourth-seeded Michigan Tech at 3:00 p.m.  The second-seeded Oilers, who will host the semifinals and championship game over the weekend, will take on third-seeded Walsh University at 1:00 p.m. in the other semifinal match-up.  The GLIAC men's championship game will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. **Traffic Notice For Those Traveling To Findlay**

Click here for a complete recap of Thursday's win over Lake Superior State: http://www.malonepioneers.com/news/2014/3/5/MBB_0305145901.aspx?path=mbball
 
Women's Semifinal Preview (#5 Malone at #1 Wayne State)
Start Time: Saturday, March 8 at 1:07 p.m. (Matthaei Center; Detroit, Michigan)
Live Video: http://www.wsuathletics.com/showcase/
Live Audio:  ESPN 990 AM or www.espn990.com
Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/waynestate/
Tickets:  Chair back Seating: $8.00; General Admission: $6.00; Students: $2.00
 
GLIAC Women's Tournament Webpage: http://www.gliac.org/sports/wbkb/2013-14/tournament/2014_WBB_Tournament
 
GLIAC Women's Bracket: http://www.gliac.org/sports/wbkb/2013-14/tournament/wb_bracket_14.pdf
 
Records: Malone 20-9 (14-8 GLIAC), Wayne State 21-6 (17-5 GLIAC)
 
Earlier this season: Wayne State withstood a late Pioneer comeback on its home court January 4, hanging on for a 69-62 victory.
 
Malone Notes:  Thursday's victory gave Malone its first 20-win season since 2001-02….It also marked the program's first postseason win since a 79-63 American Mideast Conference quarterfinal victory over Walsh on Feb. 21, 2002…Third-year head coach Jason Mishler (a Malone men's basketball alum) now owns a 46-36 career record…The Pioneers currently rank second in the GLIAC in scoring defense, yielding just 64.0 points per game…Senior guard Sydnee Penn (McKinley H.S.) scored a game-high 20 points in Thursday's victory over Ashland and currently leads the Pioneers in scoring at 13.3 points per contest…Penn also averages 5.3 rebounds per outing and currently ranks third in the conference with 2.1 steals per game…junior guard Selana Reale (Green H.S.) ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per contest…Reale also averages  4.6 rebounds per game, has the GLIAC's third-best three-point percentage (43.2%) while also ranking fourth in the conference with 3.5 assists per outing…Junior forward Lindsy Snyder (West Holmes H.S.) grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory over Ashland and is now tied for 10th on the Pioneers' all-time rebounding list with 589 career boards…Snyder's average of 7.2 rebounds per game currently ranks sixth in the GLIAC and she also owns the seventh-best field-goal percentage in the conference at 52.8%.
 
Wayne State Notes: The Warriors earned a spot in the semifinals with a 75-60 victory over eighth-seeded Hillsdale (MI) College on Thursday evening…Wayne State claimed the 2013-14 GLIAC Regular-Season Title, its first outright championship since the 1980-81 season… The Warriors are playing in their second straight GLIAC Tournament, and for the first time in program history, as the No. 1 seed in the tournament…Last year, WSU earned a quarterfinal home victory as the No. 3 seed in the tournament, defeating Ferris State, 68-59..the Warriors then fell in their semifinal game in 2013 against Findlay, 67-60…Wayne State is 11-2 on its home court this season but lost four of its final six regular-season contests…The Warriors lead the GLIAC in scoring (78.7 ppg) and  field-goal percentage (47.6%) while ranking third in rebounding (40.8 ppg)…6'1 center Shareta Brown entered the GLIAC Tournament leading the nation in field-goal percentage, having made 63.6% of her regular-season shot attempts….Brown also currently leads the GLIAC in both scoring (20.3 points per contest) and steals (2.3 per game) while ranking second in rebounds (11.5 per outing)…Guard Jackie Jones is averaging five assists per game which is tied for the conference lead…Forward Imari Redfield is second on the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg).
 
 
Men's Semifinal Preview (#8 Malone vs. #4 Michigan Tech)
Start Time: Saturday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m. (Croy Gymnasium; Findlay, Ohio)
Live Video: http://www.findlay.edu/uftv/Documents/UFoilers_live.aspx
Live Audio:  ESPN 990 AM or www.espn990.com
Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/findlay/
Tickets:  Reserved: $10.00; General Admission: $8.00; Students: $2.00
**Traffic Notice For Those Traveling To Findlay**
 
GLIAC Men's Tournament Webpage: http://www.gliac.org/sports/mbkb/2013-14/tournament/2014_MB_Tournament
 
GLIAC Men's Bracket: http://www.gliac.org/sports/mbkb/2013-14/tournament/mb_bracket_14.pdf
 
Records: Malone 15-12 (12-10 GLIAC), Michigan Tech 21-6 (16-6 GLIAC)
 
Earlier this season: A hot-shooting night allowed the Huskies to pull away for an 81-55 win on their home court back on December 5th.  
 
Malone Notes:  Thursday's victory gave Malone its first postseason win since March 1, 2008 when the squad notched a 101-98 overtime victory against Mt. Vernon Nazarene University in the American Mideast Conference semifinals… Fifth-year head coach Tim Walker now owns a 72-68 career record at Malone…The Pioneers currently rank fourth in the GLIAC in scoring offense, tossing in an average of 78.5 points per game…Malone is also second in the conference in free-throw shooting (79%) and fourth in three-point accuracy (38.8%)…Despite suffering a serious knee injury with seven games remaining in the 2012-13 season, point guard Isiah Elliott (McKinley H.S.) bounced back with a stellar senior season, earning All-GLIAC First Team accolades for the second straight year…With his 18-point effort in Thursday's victory at LSSU, Elliott eclipsed 1500 career points, becoming just the 17th player in Pioneer men's basketball history to reach the milestone… The 6'2 point guard is currently averaging 18.4 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game and ranks among the conference's leaders in scoring (eighth), assists (third) and steals (fifth)…He has also left a substantial mark on the Malone record book during his four-year career as he is now ranked 15th on Malone's all-time scoring list (1511), tied for 9th in assists (452) and sixth in career steals (188)…Senior forward Cory Veldhuizen (Hoover H.S.) is averaging 13.9 points per contest and his 6.0 rebounds per game rank as the 12th highest average in the GLIAC…Veldhuizen is one of only 22 players in program history to register over 1000 points and 500 career rebounds, currently with 1334 points (25th all-time at Malone) and 636 rebounds (16th most at Malone)…Forward Daniel Wise (Claymont H.S.) racked up a career-high 23 points in Thursday's victory at Lake Superior State…The senior has provided a big lift off the bench this year, averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 boards per outing.
 
Michigan Tech Notes: The Huskies opened GLIAC Tournament play on Thursday with a 78-72 home win over fifth-seeded Grand Valley State (MI) University…Prior to this season, Tech had won back-to-back GLIAC North Division titles…Last year, the Huskies reached the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal before falling to eventual national champion Drury…Michigan Tech is 8-4 in games played away from its home court this season and has won eight of its last nine games overall …The Huskies lead the GLIAC in both three-point (42.4%) and free-throw accuracy (80.5%)…Michigan Tech is also first in the conference in scoring defense, yielding only 65.2 points per outing…The Huskies are led by First Team All-GLIAC guard Austing Armga..The senior is currently ranked second in the conference in scoring at 23.0 points per game…He has also taken the second-most free-throw attempts in the GLIAC (200) and has the fifth-best free-throw percentage at 87.5%...Junior Ben Stelzer, a Second Team All-GLIAC selection, occupies the other guard position, giving the Huskies a formidable backcourt duo….Stelzer, who is averaging 17.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, leads the conference with 3.7 three-pointers per game.