The Malone University men's basketball team lost on the road to Hillsdale College (MI) Sunday night by a narrow margin of 73-70.

Stephen O'Daniel III got the Pioneers rolling in the first half as he notched the first five points during the first four minutes of action. The momentum would stay with Malone as Brandon Bapst and Jay Parker each scored two points to extend the lead to 9-4 with 14 minutes left to play in the first half.

Hillsdale would take their first lead of the game at the 6:43 marker as Zach Miller drilled a three-point shot to make it a 21-20 game. With a minute left in the first half, the Pioneers would tie the game at 26-26 off a Ben Evans jump shot. The Chargers Kyle Copper notched a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left to regain the lead, 28-26 at halftime.

During the first six minutes of the second half, Malone would outscore Hillsdale by an 18-7 margin to take a 44-35 advantage. That lead didn't last too long as Hillsdale scored a layup and back-to-back three-pointers to get within one point, 44-43, with 12 minutes left in regulation. With under four minutes left to play, Hillsdale went on an 9-0 run to take a 64-59 lead.

The final 30 seconds of the game would result in a free throw battle as both teams sent numerous players to the line. Christian Graves was sent to the free throw line with 12 seconds left after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Graves knocked down all three free throws to get Malone within three points, 70-67. Two seconds later, Jason Miller fouled Hillsdale's Zach Miller, which sent him to the free throw line. Zach Miller made his first free throw, but missed the second and Evans grabbed the defensive rebound, giving the Pioneers another chance. With four seconds left, O'Daniel III nailed a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 71-70. O'Daniel III would immediately foul Hillsdale's Nate Neveau with two seconds left. Neveau made both free throws, making it a three-point game. Graves fired a desperation shot from near midcourt as time expired, but his attempt was off the mark, allowing the hosts to hang on for the 73-70 victory. 
 
Malone Individual Highlights:
-O'Daniel III led MU with a season-high 19 points and tied a season-high four assists.
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson chipped in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
-Neil Gingerich tallied seven points and seven rebounds.
-Brian Stone added 14 points.

Hillsdale Individual Highlights:
-The Chargers leading scorer, Kyle Cooper, finished the game with a double-double, 25 points and 11 rebounds.
-Nate Neveau also finished with a double-double, tallying 20 points and a team high 13 rebounds.
-Stedman Lowry added 14 points.

Game Notes:
-Even though the Pioneers lost, they still shot the ball extremely well, making 49.1% of their shots from the field, while the Chargers only made 39.6% of their shots from the field.
-Malone went 6-of-15 (40.0%) from the three-point line, while Hillsdale struggled, making only 6-of-28 (21.4%).
-The Pioneers went 10-for-16 (62.5%) at the free throw line, while the Chargers went 25-for-35 (71.4%).
-The Chargers had the slight 36-to-33 rebound advantage over the Pioneers.
-As a team, the Pioneers tallied seven steals, while the Chargers gathered eight steals.

Up Next:
-Malone will resume conference play at home on Thursday, January 7^th as they hosts Ferris State University (MI).  Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m.