The Malone University men's basketball team came up just short in its upset bid of NCAA Division II #25 Ashland University on Saturday as the Eagles held on for a slim 65-63 triumph.

Just like in the first meeting of the season between the two teams, the outcome was not decided until the final moments.  On January 16th, Ashland , ranked 17th at the time, escaped Osborne Hall with a 69-67 victory after forward Wendall Davis sank a last-second jumper.  The rematch at the Eagles' Kates Gymnasium on Saturday also came down to the wire. 

Ashland took a 61-55 advantage on a pair of Davis free throws with 1:16 to play in the second half.  Pioneer guard Jay Parker then delivered the next five points of the game, sinking a pair of free throws and then converting on an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit to 61-60 with 39 ticks remaining.

The Eagles' Torin Wetzel delivered a clutch trey on Ashland's next trip down the floor to extend the hosts' lead to 64-60 with 11.7 seconds remaining.  Wetzel had been 0-of-4 from long range up until his critical shot.

After a Parker lay-up made it 64-62, the Pioneers immediately fouled, sending Davis back to the line with 5.3 seconds to go.  Davis missed the first attempt but sank the second to put Ashland ahead by three.

The Eagles then opted to foul center Brian Stone as the Pioneers inbounded the ball, rather than allow Malone to try and attempt a potential game-tying three.  The senior center stepped the line and made his first foul shot, cutting the deficit to 65-63.  Stone intentionally tried to miss the second attempt in hopes of getting the ball back.  However, Davis secured the defensive rebound for the Eagles.  Ashland missed a pair of free throws with 1.6 remaining, but the final buzzer sounder before Malone could fire a desperation heave, cementing the win for AU.

In all, the contest featured 10 ties and four lead changes.  Ashland led by as many as eight points midway through the first half before Malone fought back, trailing by a 34-32 margin at halftime.

Malone Individual Highlights
-Stone paced Malone with 16 points and nine rebounds
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson notched his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 boards
-Guard Stephen O'Daniel III posted 12 points, four boards and three steals
-Parker came off the bench to notch 11 points, five rebounds and four assists
 
Ashland Individual Highlights
-Guard Adrian Cook tossed in a game-high 17 points
-Davis finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists
-Forward Marsalis Hamilton posted 10 points, nine boards and four assits
-Center Michael hundley notched five points, six rebounds and five blocks
 
Game Notes
-Both teams struggled at the foul line as Malone made nine of 15 attempts (60%) while Ashland went 10 of 21 (47.6%) from the charity stripe
-Malone enjoyed a 42-36 advantage on the boards
-Ashland outscored Malone by slim 30-26 margin in the paint
 
Up Next: The Pioneers travel to Tiffin University on Thursday for an 8:00 p.m. contest against the Dragons.