The Malone University men's basketball team suffered a 74-67 defeat on Thursday evening in its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Tiffin University.

The Pioneers led 37-31 at the break after hitting six of 11 three-pointers over the first 20 minutes.  However, the Dragons fought back for the win by outscoring Malone 43-30 in the second half.

A lay-up by center Brian Stone and a jumper by guard Stephen O'Daniel III were the only points the Pioneers could muster over the first six and a half minutes of the final stanza.  Tiffin opened the second period on an 18-4 run to turn its six-point halftime deficit into a 49-41 advantage.

Malone responded with a 7-0 surge moments later, tying the score 52-52.  A three-point play by forward Mitchell Spotleson then put the Pioneers on top 55-54 with a little less than 10 minute remaining.  Unfortunately for the visitors, this one-point edge would turn out to be Malone's final lead of the night.

Tiffin slowly stretched its advantage back out to seven points, pulling ahead 64-57 with five and a half minutes to go.  Malone twice cut the margin to two down the stretch, the first time on a three-point play from Stone with 1:37 left and the second time on a pair of made free throws by guard Jay Parker that made the score 68-66 with 56 seconds showing on the clock. 

Following a Dragon bucket, Parker split two more free throws, leaving Tiffin in front 70-67.  Malone was unable to score again, though, as the hosts sank four of their final six foul shots to secure the seven-point victory.

Malone Individual Highlights
-Stone and O'Daniel III each finished with a team-high 15 points…O'Daniel III also grabbed seven boards while Stone totaled six rebounds
-Parker came off the bench to contribute 13 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds
-Spotleson ended the night with 10 points and four rebounds
-Guard Christian Graves and forward Ben Evans each added six points
 
Tiffin Individual Highlights
-Guard Tony Kynard netted a game-high 21 points to go with four assists and three steals
-Guard Juwan Johnson tallied 20 points
-Guard Alex Brown posted 12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals
 
Game Notes
-After their first-half shooting success, Malone went just 2-of-9 from long range in the second stanza
-The Dragons attempted 23 of their 26 free throws in the second half…Tiffin went 2-for-3 in the first half and 15-for-23 in the second
-Malone attempted 18 free throws, hitting 13
-The Dragons held a 40-32 edge on the boards, including a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass
-Despite their deficit in offensive rebounds, the Pioneers still held an 11-8 advantage in second-chance points
-Each team grabbed nine steals

Up Next: Three of Malone's final four games will be held at Osborne Hall, starting with a 3:00 p.m. contest on Saturday against Ohio Dominican University.  Malone's 2016 Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees will be recognized at halftime of the contest.