The Malone University men's basketball team suffered a 76-74 defeat at home to Alderson Broaddus University on Thursday night in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener for both squads.

The Pioneers held a 35-27 edge at halftime and led by as many as 11 points in the early stages of the second half before the Battlers fought their way back into the contest.

After shooting just 32.4% from the field and 15.4% from three-point range (two of 13) over the first 20 minutes, Alderson Broaddus managed to find its offensive rhythm after the break.  The visitors outscored Malone 49-39 in second half as they knocked down 51.5% (17 of 33) of their shot attempts in the final stanza, including seven of 15 three-pointers (46.7%).

The Battlers tied the game on four separate occasions during the second half before finally pulling ahead 68-67 on a free throw with a little less than three minutes to play.

A driving lay-up by guard Ty Jordan put the Pioneers back in front 69-68 moments later but Alderson Broaddus' Malik Bocook answered with a clutch three.  After a pair of missed three-point attempts by Malone, a dunk from ABU's Mike Davis stretched the visitors' lead to 73-69 with less than a minute to go.

Malone pulled to within 73-71 on a Djuro Pantos lay-up with 33 seconds to play.  Following a quick foul, Alderson Broaddus' Anthony Mills split a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game.

The Pioneers would come up empty on their potential game-tying three-point attempt and, after grabbing the rebound, Bocook sank a pair of foul shots with four seconds remaining, pushing the lead out to five at 76-71.  Jordan, who finished the night with a game-high 32 points, drained a shot from about eight feet beyond the arc as the final buzzer sounded, but it was not enough as Alderson Broaddus secured the two-point victory.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Malone as the Pioneers dropped to 5-2 on the season and 0-1 in Great Midwest play.  Alderson Broaddus, meanwhile, improved to 5-1 on the year and 1-0 in the conference.
 
Game Highlights
-Malone went 14 of 36 from three-point range on the night, marking the fifth time in seven games this season that the Pioneers have connected on 13 or more attempts from downtown
-The Pioneers did not fare as well inside the arc, though, as Malone shot just 39.1% (25 of 64) overall.
-Alderson Broaddus finished the game having made 41.4% of its field goals, including 32.1% of its treys
-Malone held a 44-40 edge in total rebounds
-Both teams took care of the basketball as ABU committed just four turnovers compared to nine for Malone
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Jordan registered his second 30-point game of the season as he hit seven of 15 three-pointers on the night, 10 of his 21 overall shot attempts and five of six free throws; the senior also grabbed eight boards and dished out two assists
- Mitchell Spotleson continued his march towards reaching the 1,000-point milestone as he finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double.  Spotleson is now just 15 points away from becoming the 50th player in program history to tally 1,000 points
-Guard Nate Sheppard added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists
-Pantos registered seven points and seven rebounds
 
Alderson Broaddus Individual Highlights
-Davis led the way for the Battlers with 25 points, four rebounds and four assists
-Brandon Willis followed with 17 points, five boards and three assists
-Bocook notched 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks
 
Up Next:
Malone will continue conference play on Saturday as the squad hosts Davis & Elkins College in a 1:00 p.m. contest.