The Malone University men's basketball team lost on the road Saturday night to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponent Ashland University by a final score of 80-61.

Malone fell behind 14-7 at the 13:47 mark of the first half before buckets by forward Neil Gingerich and guard Nate Sheppard cut the deficit to 14-11. Malone remained within striking distance over the next few minutes before the Eagles took flight, outscoring the Pioneers 15-6 over the final six minutes of the half to extend their lead to 38-24 at halftime.

Ashland started the second half with the hot hand as they tallied the first seven points of the period to increase their lead to 45-24 with 18:45 remaining. Back-to-back three-pointers by guard Ben Haraway and Sheppard pulled the Pioneers to within 62-46 at the 9:31 mark but that was as close as Malone would get.

Sheppard led MU with 13 points. Stephen O'Daniel III had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists while forward Brian Stone chipped in 10 points and five rebounds. Haraway and guard Jason Miller each contributed eight points.

Malone will continue conference play on the road as they face Tiffin University on Thursday, January 22, at 8 p.m. Live video, audio and stats are available for Thursday night's game.