The Malone University men's basketball team endured an 88-75 defeat to Cedarville University on Tuesday afternoon at Osborne Hall.

The loss snapped a three-game Pioneer winning streak, dropping Malone's record to 9-5 overall and 2-4 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.  The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, ended a four-game skid with the victory, improving to 7-6 overall and 2-4 in conference games.

On a frigid afternoon in Canton, Malone came out red hot in the early going, scoring 15 of the game's first 17 points.  The Pioneers would hold leads of 15-2 and 25-12 before the Yellow Jackets' cold shooting began to thaw.  Cedarville went on a 21-4 scoring run late in the first half to turn a 10-point deficit into a 42-35 advantage with two and a half minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Malone's Ty Jordan would slow the Yellow Jackets' charge by splitting a pair of free throws and then nailing a jumper on a later possession, sending the two teams to the locker room at the break with Cedarville up by four at 42-38.

A lay-up by Pioneer forward Mitchell Spotleson and a tip-in by guard Nate Sheppard tied the game up at 42-42 in the early stages of the second half.  The two teams would trade buckets back and forth over the next few minutes before a 12-3 Yellow Jacket run put the visitors in front 64-53 with a little more than seven minutes to play.  Malone twice cut the margin to eight points with a three-pointer from guard Jaret Majestic and a jumper by Rholy Mouliom before Cedarville used a late 8-0 surge to put the contest out of reach.
 
Game Highlights
-The Yellow Jackets shot 55.2% overall (32 of 58), making 13 of 23 (56.5%) three-pointers
-Malone was 25 of 62 (40.3%) from the floor, hitting 13 of 36 (36.1%) attempts from beyond the arc.  It marked the ninth time this year that the Pioneers have drained 13 or more treys
-Cedarville held a 35-32 edge in total rebounds and outscored Malone 32-18 in the paint
-The Yellow Jackets also scored 24 points off 13 Pioneer turnovers
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Sheppard notched 24 points and seven rebounds.  The redshirt junior made five of 10 three-pointers on the night and has now registered 20 or more points seven times this season.
-Jordan tallied 21 points, seven boards, two assists and two steals
-Majestic posted 15 points off the bench after sinking five of his seven three-point attempts
-Guard Daylan Haynie handed out a game-high eight assists
-Forward Djuro Pantos grabbed eight rebounds
 
Cedarville Individual Highlights
-Forward Conner TenHove racked up 30 points while grabbing nine rebounds
-Guard Grant Zawadzki added 15 points
-Guard Patrick Bain tallied 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three blocks
-Guard Demond Parker came off the bench to record 11 points
 
Up Next:
Malone will travel to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee for a Great Midwest contest on Thursday.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT (9:00 p.m. ET).