The Malone University men's basketball team fell at home to Cedarville University on Wednesday evening by a final tally of 87-76.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Pioneers used a 13-4 scoring run to open up a 62-57 lead with a little less than 12 minutes remaining.  However, the Yellow Jackets clamped down defensively from that point on and took control of the game by outscoring Malone 26-6 over the next 11 minutes.

The Pioneers dropped to 7-7 overall and 2-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with the loss while the Yellow Jackets improved to 8-6 overall and 5-1 in conference games.
 
Game Recap
The Yellow Jackets charged out to an early 10-2 lead and then maintained an advantage until midway through the opening stanza when a 9-0 Pioneer surge put Malone in front 34-28 with seven and half minutes to play in the period. 

Guard Rholy Mouliom got the Pioneer rally started with a bucket in the paint and guard Jaret Majestic followed with a three-pointer to give the hosts their first lead of the game.  Guard Bryce Butler and forward Marcus Ernst followed with baskets to push the Malone lead to six.

The Yellow Jackets quickly tied things up with back-to-back three-pointers and the two teams then headed to the locker room at halftime knotted at 42-42.

After falling behind 53-49 near the start of the second half, Malone stormed back to take the lead with the 13-4 run.  Guard Nate Sheppard got things going with a three-point play.  Butler added a lay-up and a pair of free throws before forward Ben Evans and Majestic each buried treys to put the Pioneers up five.

Cedarville responded with seven unanswered points to regain the lead.  Malone would tie it at 64-64 and 66-66 before another Cedarville run, this time a 10-0 surge, put the Yellow Jackets in front by double-digits with under three minutes to play.

Malone would tally eight points in the final 60 seconds of the game, but the Yellow Jackets sank 10 of 11 free throws down the stretch to secure their fifth-straight conference victory.
 
Game Highlights
-Cedarville attacked from the perimeter in the first half, draining 10 of 15 three-pointers (66.7%) over the first 20 minutes.
-Overall, the Yellow Jackets made 49.2% (30 of 61) of their shot attempts on the evening, 12 of 20 (60%) treys and 15 of 18 (83.3%) free throws.
-Malone also had a strong shooting performance, converting on 29 of 58 (50%) field goals, nine of 19 (47.4%) three-pointers and nine of 10 (90%) foul shots
-The Pioneers were plagued by 17 turnovers that led to 25 Cedarville points
-Malone held a 33-28 edge in total rebounds and outscored the Yellow Jackets 38-20 in the paint
-Despite their rebounding deficit, Cedarville outscored the Pioneers 10-2 in second-chance points
 
Malone Individual Highlights
-Butler notched his fourth 20-point game of the season as he finished the evening with 21 points and five assists.  Butler converted on eight of 13 field goals, one of his two treys and all four of his free throws
-Sheppard tallied 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists
-Evans hit three treys on his way to 13 points
-Majestic also hit three attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists
-Ernst contributed eight points, a game-high 10 rebounds, three steals and a block
 
Cedarville Individual Highlights
-Forward Conner TenHove hit six three-pointers and finished with a game-high 32 points.  He also grabbed eight boards and handed out three assists
-Guard Branden Maughmer added 18 points, five assists and five rebounds
-Guard Grant Zawadzki notched 13 points and 10 assists
 
Up Next:
Malone will continue G-MAC play on Saturday at home with a 3:00 p.m. contest against Tiffin University.