Malone University Athletics

The Malone University men's basketball team fell 87-76 to the University of Southern Indiana on Saturday night in the final game of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference / Great Lakes Valley Conference Crossover Classic that was held at Osborne Hall.

The Screaming Eagles built a 47-30 halftime advantage in the contest after knocking down 66.7% of their shots attempts in the opening stanza, including 10 of 14 (71.4) from three-point range.  After trailing by as many as 25 points in the second half, the Pioneers launched a strong comeback bid in the final six minutes. 

A 19-4 Malone surge, fueled by four treys from freshman Jaret Majestic, cut the Southern Indiana advantage down to 10 at 73-63 with 90 seconds to play.  USI would score the next four points of the contest on free throws to push the lead back out to 14.  Malone continued to battle back in the final minute as three-pointers from Nate Sheppard and Ty Jordan and a pair of Jordan free throws would get Malone to within seven at 81-74 with 26 seconds showing on the clock. 

However, Southern Indiana managed to hang on for the victory after draining its final six free throws of the evening.

The Pioneers' record fell to 1-1 following the contest while the Screaming Eagles improved to 2-2 on the season.

In Saturday's first contest, Hillsdale College downed the University of Illinois Springfield by a final score of 74-63.
 
Game Highlights
-Although Southern Indiana's hot shooting cooled some in the second half, the Screaming Eagles still managed to connect on 57.1% (28 of 49) of their overall shot attempts, including 56.5% (13 of 23) from distance.
-USI also fared well at the foul line, hitting 18 of 22 free throws (81.8%).  After attempting just two first-half foul shots, the Eagles knocked down 17 of 20 charity tosses in the final 20 minutes
-Malone ended the night having made 28 of 60 field goals (46.7%), 14 of 39 (35.9%) treys and six of nine (66.7%) free throws
-Southern Indiana held a 34-21 edge in total rebounds and handed out 20 assists on their 28 made baskets
-The Pioneers outscored Southern Indiana 22-18 in the paint and forced 17 USI turnovers
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Ty Jordan filled up the stat sheet with 19 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds
-Mitchell Spotleson posted 14 points and five rebounds
-Nate Sheppard also registered 14 points
-Majestic scored all 12 of his points on three-pointers during the latter stages of the second half
-Daylan Haynie posted a team-high seven assists
 
Southern Indiana Individual Highlights
-Marellous Washington hit six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points
-Nate Hansen came off the bench to score 21 points and hand out seven assists
-Alex Stein tossed in 20 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds
 
Up Next:
Malone will host Central State University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.