The Malone University men's basketball team suffered a tough 70-69 defeat at the University of Findlay on Saturday afternoon as the Oilers' Tyler Stern-Tucker sank the game-winning free throw with just four-tenths of a second remaining.

A clutch three-pointer by Pioneer guard Stephen O'Daniel III had put the visitors in front 67-62 with a little over two minutes to go.  Findlay fought back to tie it moments later with the help of an intentional foul call on a bucket by forward John Staley.  Staley split two free throws after making a lay-up.  The Oilers then maintained possession thanks to the intentional foul and guard Martyce Kimbrough capitalized on the opportunity, sinking a jumper to even the score at 67-67.

Malone pulled ahead on a bucket by center Brian Stone before another Kimbrough jump shot knotted the score at 69-69 with 1:21 showing on the clock.

After each team failed to score on their next possession, Malone called a timeout with the ball and 34.5 ticks remaining. 

The Pioneers ran down the clock but their go-ahead shot attempt was off the mark.  Findlay'sTaren Sullivan snagged the rebound and threw a pass to Stern-Tucker who had charged up the floor just ahead of the Malone defense.  With the clock winding down, Stern-Tucker drove to the hoop with Pioneer defenders in pursuit and a foul was called as he went up for a contested lay-up.

The junior forward then stepped to the line and sank his first free throw to put Findlay in front.  He then intentionally missed the second to start the clock, securing the win and keeping the Oilers undefeated at home this season.

The Pioneers came out red hot in the first half, hitting eight of their first 10 shot attempts.  The Pioneers led by as many as 16 points midway through the opening period and took a 41-31 lead into the locker room at intermission.  Malone converted on 61.5% of its shots over the first 20 minutes, including nine of 13 attempts from beyond the arc.

However, the Pioneers cooled off in the second half.  Back-to-back Kimbrough three-pointers trimmed the Pioneer lead to 52-51 with a little less than 11 minutes to play.  Malone still maintained an advantage until the 3:31 mark when another Findlay three-pointer tied the game at 62-62.  The Oilers only lead of the afternoon came on the late foul shot.

Malone Individual Highlights
-Stone and guard Christian Graves each tossed in 18 points to pace the Pioneers
-Stone went 7-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 at the foul line while also grabbing five rebounds and blocking two shots
-Graves pulled down eight boards and hit six of nine shot attempts, including four of six from beyond the three-point arc.
-O'Daniel III registered 11 points and four boards
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson tallied nine points and four rebounds
-Guard Jay Parker piled up six points, nine assists and eight rebounds
 
Findlay Individual Highlights
-Kimbrough netted a game-high 20 points with four boards and two steals
-Staley notched 11 points and three steals
-Sullivan added 10 points and four assists
 
Game Notes
-The two teams combined for just 12 free throws over the course of the afternoon…Malone went 6-for-6 at the line while Findlay hit three of six
-Malone enjoyed a 34-24 advantage on the boards
-The Oilers committed just four turnovers on the afternoon compared to 12 for Malone
-Although the Pioneers went 2-for-8 from beyond the arc in the second half, Malone still managed to shoot 52.4% overall from three-point range (11 of 21)
-The Pioneers trailed 21-10 in bench points
 
Up Next: Malone will conclude its season on Thursday when the squad hosts the 52^nd annual Mayors' Cup against rival Walsh University.  Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m.