The Malone University men's basketball team began Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division play on Thursday night with a narrow 70-69 loss at Lake Erie College.

After the Storm split a pair of free throws to grab a 68-67 advantage with a little less than two minutes to play, guard Stephen O'Daniel III buried a jumper to put the visitors in front 69-68.

The Storm's Andy Bosley answered moments later, converting on a lay-up to put the hosts back on top, 70-69.  Malone would then misfire on its next shot attempt and Lake Erie grabbed the rebound with 44 ticks remaining.

However, the Storm missed a shot with 18 seconds to go, giving the Pioneers one last chance.  Following a timeout, Malone ran down the clock, but the Pioneers' potential game-winning attempt was off the mark as the final buzzer sounded, allowing the Storm to hold on for the one-point victory.

The Pioneers led by as many as nine points in the first half and took a 30-26 lead into the locker room at the break.  Lake Erie used a 14-4 scoring run midway through the second period to pull in front 50-43. 

Afer the two teams traded buckets, a lay-up by forward Mitchell Spotleson and a three-pointer by O'Daniel III quickly sliced the deficit down to 52-50.  The Storm would answer with a basket to go ahead 54-50, but this four-point margin would be the largest lead for either team over the final eight minutes of the closely-contested game.

Malone Individual Highlights
-O'Daniel III finished with a season-high 25 points to go with four rebounds and four assists
-All 15 of Spotleson's points came in the final 10 minutes of the second half…He scored 13 straight points for Malone during one stretch…he also grabbed seven boards over the course of the evening
-Guard Christian Graves added 13 points
-Center Brian Stone finished with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field
 
Lake Erie Individual Highlights
-Bosley tallied 24 points and three steals
-Guard Trey Howard posted 19 points to go with three steals
-Forward Michael Morris also reached double figures with 15 points
 
Game Notes
-The Pioneers shot over 53% from the field, including 57% in the second half
-Malone hit nine of 20 attempts from beyond the arc and was 4-of-5 from the foul line
-The Storm shot 41.7% from the field, including 30.8% from deep
-Lake Erie took advantage of its opportunities at the foul line, converting on 12 of 16 attempts
-The Pioneers enjoyed a 36-26 edge in total rebounds
-Lake Erie committed just six turnovers compared to 16 for Malone
-Five of Malone's defeats this season have come by three points or less
 
Up Next: Malone will host NCAA Div. II #17 Ashland University on Saturday.  Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. in Osborne Hall.