The Malone University men's basketball team staged a second-half comeback on Thursday night, rallying for a 73-61 home triumph against Ohio Valley University in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Fighting Scots held a 34-32 advantage at halftime and then stretched their lead to 42-36 five minutes into the final period.  Malone responded with a 16-2 run to pull in front and then held off OVU down the stretch to register its fifth consecutive win.

The Pioneers improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the G-MAC with the victory while the Fighting Scots slipped to 3-1 and 0-1 in conference play.

Game Recap
After trailing in early stages of the first half, Malone scored 15 unanswered points to grab a 26-17 advantage.  OVU quickly responded, scoring the next eight points to cut the Pioneer lead to 26-25.

The Fighting Scots pulled ahead before the break and then grabbed the six-point lead early in the second half. 

Guard Nate Sheppard got the Malone comeback started by nailing back-to-back three-pointers.  Following a bucket by guard Daylan Haynie and a dunk by forward Marcus Ernst, guard Jaret Majestic stretched the Malone lead out to eight after nailing a corner trey and then draining three straight free throws after being fouled on another three-point attempt.

Despite the big scoring surge by the Pioneers, Ohio Valley refused to go away quietly.  The Fighting Scots twice cut the deficit down to two points – the first time on a free throw with seven minutes to go and the second time on a pair of foul shots with just over five minutes showing on the clock that made the score 57-55.

However, the visitors would get no closer the rest of the way.  Malone ramped up its defense while slowly adding to its lead at the free throw line.  The Pioneers put the game out of reach in the final five minutes by hitting 12 of 18 attempts at the charity stripe while limiting OVU to a total of just six points.
 
Game Highlights
-The Pioneers shot 42.1% from the field, made 23.1% (six of 26) of their attempts from long range while connecting on 19 of 28 (67.9%) free throws
-OVU hit six of 12 three-pointers in the first half, but then went 0-for-11 from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes.  Overall, the Fighting Scots shot 36.8% from the field, 26.1% from deep and 76.5% (13 of 17) at the line
-Malone scored a total of 17 points off 18 OVU turnovers
-The Pioneers held a slim 38-37 advantage in total rebounds and a 30-24 edge in points in the paint
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Sheppard, the G-MAC's leading scorer, reached 20 points for the third straight contest as he finished with a game-high 23 (9-of-16 FG, 3-of-9 3-PT, 2-of-2 FT).  The senior also grabbed six rebounds and two steals
-Ernst tallied his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  He also contributed three assists and three blocked shots
-Haynie totaled 10 points, four assists and two steals
-Guard Bryce Butler also notched 10 points
-Forward Ben Evans posted five points, five rebounds and four assists
 
Ohio Valley Individual Highlights
-Forward David Adeyemo tossed in 17 points and grabbed five rebounds
-Guard Christian Alley added 14 points and six rebounds
-Guard Ognjen Vasiljevic registered 10 points and five rebounds off the bench
 
Up Next:
Malone will continue G-MAC play on Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. contest at home against Ohio Dominican University.