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The Malone University men's basketball team fell one three-point basket shy of tying the program's all-time single-game record on Friday evening, but it wasn't quite enough as Notre Dame College prevailed 97-87 in an offensive shootout at Osborne Hall.
After missing the first nine games of the season due to injury, senior guard
Christian Graves made an outstanding 2016-17 debut, hitting seven of the Pioneers' 16 treys. In 22 minutes off the bench, Graves sank 7 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with a team-high 21 points. He also contributed five assists, four rebounds, one block and one steal.
Overall, Malone hit 16 of 42 (38.1%) three-point attempts on the night - one triple shy of the program's all-time record of 17 made three-pointers which was achieved in a contest against Dyke College during the 1991-92 season.
Despite the impressive shooting display, Notre Dame was equal to the task as Falcon guard Kyauta Taylor and forward Will Vorhees combined for 78 of NDC's 97 points. Taylor tossed in 45 points to go with seven boards and four steals while Vorhees notched 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
In addition to the huge individual performances from Taylor and Vorhees, Notre Dame dominated inside, holding a commanding 53-35 advantage in total rebounds and out-scoring the Pioneers by a 54-36 margin in the paint. The visitors scooped up a total of 23 offensive rebounds that led to 39 second-chance points.
Fueled by Graves, the Pioneers opened the game by hitting eight of their first 12 attempts from long distance, including a six and a half minute stretch in the early stages of the contest in which Malone nailed eight of nine treys. The hosts led by as many as 15 points on two separate occasions in the first half, the final time at 43-28 with five and a half minutes to go in the opening frame.
The Falcons, who entered the contest averaging just shy of 83 points per game, trimmed the deficit to 45-38 at the break and then scored the first seven points of the final stanza to tie the game at 45-45.
A three-pointer by Graves and lay-ups by Pioneer guards
Nate Sheppard and
Ty Jordan would push the Malone lead out to eight points at 67-59 midway through the second half. Notre Dame answered back with a 9-0 run of their own minutes later, pulling ahead 70-69.
The lead would exchange hands back and forth over the next few possessions before Taylor sank three consecutive free throws after being fouled on an attempt from beyond the arc to stretch NDC's lead out to five at 81-76 with five minutes to play. Buckets by Sheppard and forward
Mitchell Spotleson cut the deficit to one. However, the 81-80 margin with three minutes to go was as close as the hosts would get the rest of the way as the Falcons out-scored Malone 11-0 over the next 90 seconds to put the contest out of reach.
Malone slipped to 4-6 on the season with the hard-fought defeat while Notre Dame improved to 8-2 after recording their fourth win in a row.
Game Highlights
-The two teams combined to make 24 three-pointers on 63 attempts
-The Falcons shot 47.5% (38 of 80) from the field overall compared to 44.3% (35 of 79) for Malone
-Notre Dame held a huge advantage at the foul line, hitting 13 of 17 (76.5%) free throws while the Pioneers attempted just one free throw on the night (1-for-1)
-The Pioneers handed out a season-high 25 assists
-Malone held a 36-4 edge in bench points and scored 29 points off 17 Falcon turnovers
Malone Individual Highlights
-Graves' seven three-pointers tied his previous career high. The senior guard hit seven treys on two previous occasions (Feb. 16, 2013 vs. Ohio Dominican and Nov. 9, 2013 vs. Ohio Christian)
-Jordan nailed three treys, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals
-Spotleson connected on four attempts from beyond the arc, ending the night with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds
-Sheppard posted 13 points and six rebounds
Notre Dame Individual Highlights
-Taylor played 39 minutes despite battling foul trouble for much of the night. The junior guard from Cleveland connected on 15 of 24 shots attempts, including six of eight three pointers. He also made nine of 10 free throws
-Vorhees played all 40 minutes, connecting on 15 of 32 shot attempts, including two of four treys and one of three free throws. Of his 14 rebounds, nine were on the offensive end
-In addition to the big nights from Taylor and Vorhees, forward Ja"Sean Lewis fell one assist shy of a triple-double. The GlenOak H.S. graduate had 13 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, six blocked shots and two steals
-Only two other Falcons scored in the contest: Forward Nathan Kellum had two points while forward Oliver Megins added four points
Up Next:
Malone will be idle until Friday, December 30th when the squad hosts Wright State University-Lake in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Osborne Hall.
