The Malone University men's basketball team fell to rival Walsh University by a final score of 93-68 in the 53
rd Annual Mayors' Cup on Saturday evening at the Cavaliers' Alumni Arena.
Walsh missed its first 10 shot attempts, but managed to overcome the cold start, knocking down 56% of its field goals over the final 35 minutes of game action.
The Cavaliers used a 14-4 scoring surge to erase the Pioneers' early 6-0 advantage. Malone fought back to tie it with a pair of free throws from redshirt sophomore forward
Nate Sheppard and a nice tip-in by freshman forward
Chris Johnson.
However, Walsh then took command, outscoring Malone 14-2 over the next three minutes. Three-pointers by junior guard
Ty Jordan and senior guard
Brandon Bapst pulled the visitors to within 10 during the latter stages of the first half, but the Pioneers would get no closer the rest of the way.
Game Highlights
-The victory marked Walsh's tenth straight Mayors' Cup win
-Both teams shot the ball well from three-point range as Malone knocked down 11 of 28 attempts (39.3%) while Walsh drained 12 of 30 (40%)
-Overall the Cavs made 31 of 66 (47%) field goals and 19 of 22 (86.4%) free throws while Malone made 23 of 64 (35.9%) from the floor and 11 of 14 (78.6%) from the line
-The Cavs held a 47-32 edge on the boards and a 24-11 advantage in second-chance points
Malone Individual Highlights
-Jordan racked up 26 points (9-20 FG, 4-9 3pt, 4-5 FT) to go with six assists, four rebounds and two steals
-Forward
Mitchell Spotleson notched 11 points and six boards
-Sheppard tossed in 11 points
-Bapst added eight points and five boards off the bench and was a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point land
Walsh Individual Highlights
-Guard Zac Carter finished with a game-high 34 points (11-20 FG, 4-8 3pt, 8-8 FT) to go with six rebounds and four assists
-Forward Trey Fletcher tossed in 17 points and grabbed five boards
-Guard Steven Carpenter tallied 16 points and seven rebounds
Up Next: Malone will host its home opener on Wednesday as the squad squares off with the College of Faith. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. in Osborne Hall.
