The Malone University men's basketball team closed out the first half of Thursday's game on a 23-4 scoring run and never looked back, cruising to an 86-70 home triumph over Kentucky Wesleyan College.

The Pioneers improved to 18-7 overall with the victory, marking their highest win total since finishing the 2010-11 season with an 18-13 record.  The 16-point triumph improved Malone's Great Midwest Athletic Conference record to 11-6, keeping the Pioneers within a half game of Hillsdale College and Walsh University, who are now tied for second in the league standings with identical 11-5 marks. Malone can lock up a postseason spot with a win over Trevecca Nazarene University on Saturday.

Thursday's victory also gave Malone a season sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan as the Panthers slipped to 14-12 overall and 8-8 in conference games.
 
Game Recap
The first 11 minutes of Thursday's contest were evenly matched with the two teams exchanging the lead back and forth.  Kentucky Wesleyan would knot the score at 23-23 on a jumper by guard Brandon Hatton with a little more than nine minutes remaining in the first half.

From there, Malone took command, opening up a 46-27 advantage at intermission thanks to its big scoring surge over the next nine minutes.  Three pointers by guards Ty Jordan and Jaret Majestic got things started.  Following a bucket by the Panthers' Rasheide Bell at the eight-minute mark, Kentucky Wesleyan would manage just two more points over the remainder of the half as Malone ratcheted up its defensive intensity.

The Pioneers' advantage then grew to as many as 29 points in the second stanza.  A late 8-0 Kentucky Wesleyan rally trimmed the deficit down to 14 in the final minute, but it was not nearly enough as Malone extended its winning streak to six games, its longest stretch of consecutive victories since stringing together eight in a row during the 2009-10 season.
 
Game Highlights
 -The Pioneers knocked down 50.7% (34 of 67) of their shot attempts on the night, including 13 of 25 (52%) attempts from three-point range
-The Panthers made 42.9% (30 of 70) of their field goals but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just four of 18 (22.2%) treys
-Kentucky Wesleyan grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, but Malone held a 40-37 edge on the glass overall
-The Panthers blocked 11 shots on the night
-Malone tallied 26 assists on its 34 made baskets
-Both teams committed just nine turnovers each
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Jordan paced five Pioneers in double figures, finishing the night with a game-high 25 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists and a steal
-Guard Nate Sheppard posted 16 points, five boards and five assists
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson tallied 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting while also posting six rebounds and three assists
-Forward Djuro Pantos tallied his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds
-Majestic added 12 points off the bench after connecting on four of six three-pointers.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan Individual Highlights
-Forward Dakota Quinn filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots
-Guard Daniel Dzierzawski tallied 14 points, four rebounds and three steals
-Bell tallied 13 points
-Forward Malek Harris added 10 points and five boards
 
Up Next:
Malone will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday as the squad hosts its final home game of the season against Trevecca Nazarene University at 1:00 p.m.  Malone's 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees will be honored at halftime of the contest.  The Pioneer seniors will then be recognized after the conclusion of the game.