The Malone University men's basketball team moved to 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season after posting a convincing 79-66 victory over Cedarville University on Saturday evening at the Yellow Jackets' Don Callan Classic.

The victory gave the Pioneers a weekend sweep in Cedarville, having topped Davis & Elkins in overtime on Friday night.  Following the 108-105 shootout victory the night before, Malone clamped down defensively on Saturday, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 36.1% (22 of 61) shooting including five of 21 (23.8%) accuracy from long range.  Malone, meanwhile, connected on over 53% (33 of 62) of its field goals, including 10 of 20 (50%) attempts from beyond the arc.

Cedarville led 17-13 with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half.  However, from that point on the Pioneers took command, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 26-10 over the remainder of the half to take a 39-27 lead into intermission. 

The hosts would pull within 43-34 early in the second frame before a 15-0 Malone scoring run put the contest out of reach.  All 15 points during the stretch came on three-pointers.  Guards Christian Graves and Stephen O'Daniel III each hit one while guard Nate Sheppard buried the other three triples over a span of three and a half minutes, putting the Pioneers out in front by 24. 

Malone Individual Highlights
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson posted his second straight double-double, finishing the night with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds
-Center Brian Stone registered 12 points
-Graves also posted 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range
-Sheppard tallied 11 points off the bench
-Guard Jason Miller ended the night with five points, five rebounds and four assists
 
Cedarville Individual Highlights
-Patrick Bain paced the Yellow Jackets with 13 points
-Guard J.C. Faubion added 11 points and nine boards
-Guard Colton Linkous contributed 11 ponts off the bench
 
Game Notes
-The Yellow Jackets scored 24 points off 19 Pioneer turnovers, but Malone held a commanding 40-22 edge on points in the paint
-Cedarville made 17 of 27 free throws while the Pioneers made just five trips to the foul line, making three
-Through its first two games, Malone is shooting over 50% from the field (73 of 144) and has made 23 of its 56 (41.1%) shots from three-point range
 
Up Next: The Pioneers travel to NCAA Division I Cleveland State University on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. exhibition game.  The contest will be broadcast on ESPN 3.  CSU will also provide live statistics and audio.  Visit www.malonepioneers.com/broadcast for links to each of the multimedia offerings.