The Malone University men's basketball team saw its seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday in an 86-75 setback to Walsh University at Alumni Arena in North Canton. The Pioneers, who came in ranked 8th in the Midwest Region and tied for 3rd in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, had a chance to solidify their NCAA Tournament hopes, but came up short and dropped to 19-8 on the season and 12-7 in G-MAC play. The Cavaliers, who have now won every Mayors' Cup since 2008, improved to 19-6 overall and 14-5 in the G-MAC.
 
Recap
Coming in as the #9 ranked team in the Midwest, Walsh spotted Malone an 18-12 lead over the first eight minutes of the opening half as the Pioneer defense limited the Cavs to just four made baskets in on their first 14 shot attempts. Walsh responded with field goals on five straight possessions, but Malone remained in front thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Mitchell Spotleson and Marcus Ernst.
 
Another three-ball by Nate Sheppard late in the half put the Pioneers up 36-29 and marked their largest lead of the game. A Sheppard triple and three Ty Jordan free throws made it a 42-35 contest before a Cavalier layup, one of 14 first-half buckets in the paint, cut the score to 42-37 going into the break.
 
After scoring 28 of their 37 first-half points in the paint, the Cavaliers knocked down back-to-back treys to open the second half as they regained a lead for the first time since the first five minutes of the game. The two teams then exchanged the lead three more times over the next five minutes and eventually saw themselves tied 51-51 with 14:18 remaining.
 
A three-pointer by Jaret Majestic and a monster jam by Sheppard on consecutive possessions gave Malone a 56-51 advantage. Sheppard's dunk, which should have ignited a spark in the Pioneers, had the opposite effect, though, as the Cavaliers countered with a 15-0 run to go ahead by 10.
 
A pair of Sheppard free throws with 4:38 left to play closed the gap to 70-65, but Walsh again answered with 10 straight points and pulled away for the win.
 
Game Highlights
-Walsh knocked down 17 of 29 (58.6%) shot attempts in the momentous second half.
-Overall, the Cavs shot 54.1% (33 of 61) from the field and outscored Malone 52-20 in the paint.
-The Pioneers' 7-of-12 (58.3%) showing from deep in the first half masked a poor overall shooting performance from inside the arc. Malone knocked down just 36.9% (24 of 65) from the field, but finished 12 of 31 (38.7%) from three-point range.
-Malone canned 15 of 18 (83.3%) free throws while the Cavaliers made just 56% (14 of 25).
-Both teams took care of the basketball, combining for just 12 turnovers. Malone's seven turnovers were the third-fewest in a game this season.
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Despite some shooting troubles, Ty Jordan recorded a team-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
-Nate Sheppard finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
-Jaret Majestic totaled 13 points, including three triples.
-Marcus Ernst added nine points and five rebounds.
-Djuro Pantos collected a team-high 10 rebounds and three assists.
 
Walsh Individual Highlights
-G-MAC Player of the Year candidate Chandler Vaudrin finished with a game-high 29 points (10-12 FG), seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
-Conner Wess added 15 points
-Darryl Straughter chipped in with 14 points, three assists, and two steals.
 
Up Next
Malone will close out the regular season next Saturday, February 24th against Lake Erie before competing in the G-MAC Tournament the following weekend.