The Malone University men's basketball team had its five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon as Ohio Dominican University topped the Pioneers at Osborne Hall by a final score of 81-70.

The hosts fell behind 34-28 at halftime after hitting just one of ten three-pointers over the first 20 minutes.  Malone kept things close throughout the second half, cutting the lead to two on multiple occasions.  However, the Panthers maintained a lead throughout the final stanza and closed out the game on an 8-2 run to secure their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference victory.

Malone slipped to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference following the defeat while Ohio Dominican improved to 5-3 and 1-1 in the G-MAC
 
Game Recap
An offensive rebound and put-back by Marcus Ernst put Malone in front 27-25 with a little under four minutes to go in the opening period.  The Pioneers were then held without a field goal over the remainder of the first half as the Panthers closed out the stanza on a 9-1 surge, taking a 34-28 lead into the locker room at intermission.

A three-pointer at the start of the second half by Malone guard Bryce Butler trimmed the ODU advantage to three at 34-31.

Minutes later, another 9-1 scoring run by the Panthers stretched the visitors' lead out to ten at 50-40 just over four minutes into the final period.

Eight unanswered Malone points, including a three-pointer by Ben Evans and a lay-up and trey from Butler, got the Pioneers back to within two at 56-54 near the midway point of the second half.

After the Panthers' Michael Simon ended ODU's scoring drought with a three-pointer, Malone would cut the deficit to two twice more – the first on an off-balance three-pointer by guard Jaret Majestic and the final time on an another offensive rebound and put-back by Ernst.

As they had done throughout the second half, the Panthers found an answer just as Malone looked to be gaining momentum.  ODU scored seven straight points to expand their advantage back out to nine at 68-59 with just over five minutes to go.

A driving lay-up in the paint by Butler got Malone to within 75-70 in the final minute.  The Pioneers then stole the ensuing inbounds pass but a quick turnover gave the ball back to the Panthers and the visitors went on to sink six straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
Game Highlights
-Despite the first-half shooting struggles, Malone bounced back to make 48.4% of its shot attempts in the second half, including seven of its 12 three-pointers over the final 20 minutes
-Overall, Malone made 39.7% of its field goals, 36.4% of its treys and 75% (12 of 16) of its foul shots
-ODU finished the game having made 48.2% of its shots, 10 of 25 three-pointers (40%), and 17 of 20 (85%) free throws
-The Panthers enjoyed a substantial 41-27 advantage in total rebounds
-The Pioneers committed just seven turnovers in the contest and outscored ODU 30-24 in the paint
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Butler matched his career high, leading all scorers with 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half.  Butler sank eight of his 15 shot attempts, three of six three-pointers and all five of his free throws.  He also grabbed four rebounds
-Nate Sheppard reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth straight game and the fifth time overall this season.  He totaled 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists
-Ernst posted 11 points and seven rebounds
-Majestic added six points off the bench
 
Ohio Dominican Individual Highlights
-Forward Hasan Varence led four Panthers in double figures as he posted 17 points and 13 rebounds
-Guard Sam Hickey tallied 15 points and six boards
-Guard Tahj Curry added 15 points and six assists
 
Up Next:
Malone will hit the road for four straight G-MAC contests, starting with a 7:30 p.m. game on Thursday at Hillsdale College.