The Malone University men's basketball put on a three-point shooting showcase Wednesday night, draining 19 three-pointers in a 106-79 victory over Salem International University. The 19 triples was one shy of the school record, set against Wright State Lake earlier this season, and the second-most of all-time. The Pioneers' 52.8% three-point success rate was the highest of the season.
 
Malone never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 38 late in the second half. Junior guard Nate Sheppard got the ball rolling with the game's first five points and the Pioneers' first trey in the opening minute. From there, Christian Graves and Ty Jordan combined for 21 of Malone's next 23 points on seven made threes as the Pioneers stretched their lead to 28-15 with 9:53 left in the first half.
 
Jordan added two more long balls over the next several minutes before back-to-back threes by Kamron Carroll in the final 75 seconds gave Malone 12 treys in the half. By the break, Jordan was 6-of-8 from downtown and had a team-high 20 points for Malone who led 56-27.
 
The aerial assault continued for Malone in the second stanza. Sandwiched around seven points by Djuro Pantos, Christian Graves knocked down a trio of triples to give Malone a 72-36 edge just four minutes into the second half.
 
Senior forward Brandon Bapst got in on the act next, scoring the next 13 Pioneer points on four free throws and three deep bombs. His latest three-ball made it a 85-47 ball game and gave Malone its largest lead of the game at the 11:13 mark of the second half.
 
Ty Jordan once again was true from downtown on the Malone's next three-point try nearly five minutes later. His trey proved to be the 19th and final make of the night. The quest to tie the school record fell short as the Pioneers missed their final four three-point tries. The quest for their fourth straight win, though, was a success as Malone closed out the night the non-conference victory.
 
With the win, Malone climbed to 13-11 on the season and 7-2 over the last nine games.
 
Game Highlights
-Overall, Malone shot 50.7% (37-of-73) from the floor and 19-of-36 from three-point range. The Pioneers were also a cool 13-of-16 (81.3%) from the free-throw line.
-The Pioneers have now hit 11 or more threes in 12 of their last 15 games and rank among the top-15 in the country in made threes per game.
-Malone was credited with 28 assists on their 37 field goals
-Salem International netted 10 three-pointers of their own and managed to outscore Malone 52-50 in the second half on the strength of 16 free throws and 12 points off 10 Pioneer turnovers.
-Malone dominated the glass, holding a substantial 47-22 edge in total rebounds
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Ty Jordan knocked down seven of his nine shots (77.8%) from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 25 points to go along with six assists and two steals.
-Christian Graves was equally impressive, shooting a robust 6-of-7 (85.7%) from distance. He totaled 20 points and six rebounds.
-Brandon Bapst (3-of-4 from three-point range) scored a career-high 15 points in just 12 minutes off the bench.
-Nate Sheppard chipped in with 13 points, six boards, and three assists while Djuro Pantos collected 11 points and five boards.
-Daylan Haynie provided six points, two steals, and a season-high seven assists.
-Kamron Carroll tossed in eight points and pulled down four rebounds.
-Mitchell Spotleson hauled in a team-high nine boards and handed out four assists.
 
Salem International Highlights
-Jordan Robinson netted four treys and led the Tigers with 15 points.
-Victor Blakey and Jarius Farrow each tossed in 14 markers.
-Hollis Alexander tallied 11 points and six assists.
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers will celebrate Senior Day this Saturday, February 18th when they host Alderson Broaddus at 3:00 pm. Malone dropped a 75-61 contest to the Battlers in early January.