The Malone University men's basketball team defeated Alderson Broaddus University in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference game at home on Saturday by a score of 84-77.
 
The Pioneers improve to 11-8 overall, 6-6 in the G-MAC. The loss drops Alderson Broaddus to a record of 8-10 overall, 5-6 in the G-MAC.
 
Game Recap:
Malone jumped out to an early lead to start the game, pushing the gap up to 10 points halfway through the first. The largest lead of the game came on a Jaret Majestic three with 6:59 left in the first half to make the score 31-20. A late surge by the Battlers cut into the deficit and made the halftime score 41-37.
 
A dunk from Mike Davis early in the second half gave Alderson Broaddus their first lead since the opening minutes.
 
Pace of play would slow down as both teams struggled to find points. After a Daylan Haynie lay-up at the 16:13 mark, both teams combined to score just six points over the next four and a half minutes. The game was tied at 52 before Alderson Broaddus went on an 11-4 run to put an end to their scoring woes and take a 63-56 advantage with 8:57 left to play.
 
In the blink of an eye, the lead vanished for the Battlers after a 3-point barrage from senior Nate Sheppard. In only 61 seconds, Sheppard nailed three field goals from long range to spark an 11-0 swing. Marcus Ernst finished off the run by collecting one of his six offensive rebounds on the day and tipped home a lay-up that gave the Pioneers a 67-63 lead with six minutes remaining.
 
Bryce Butler scored nine of his 22 points in the closing minutes of the game against his former team to seal the deal for the Pioneers as they pulled away to an 84-77 victory.
 
At halftime of the contest, six of the ten newest inductees to the Malone University Hall of Fame were honored.


 
Game Highlights:
-The Pioneers outrebounded the Battlers 45-34
-12 offensive rebounds led to Malone having a 16-4 advantage in second chance points
-Malone got out on the break and scored 22 points on fast breaks compared to only four points for Alderson Broaddus
-The Battlers held a slight edge in assists 17-14
-Alderson Broaddus made 13 of 28 attempts from three
 
Malone Individual Highlights:
-Nate Sheppard led all scorers with 28 points on nine field goals, five of them from three, and nine rebounds
-Junior Bryce Butler followed with 22 points
-Marcus Ernst totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds (6 offensive), matching his career high in both rebounding categories
-Daylan Haynie tallied 10 points and five assists
-Ben Evans recorded seven points and five rebounds
 
Alderson Broaddus Individual Highlights:
-Mike Davis went 4-4 from deep and led the team in scoring with 17 points
-Guard KJ Walker registered 15 points and dished out five assists
-Malik Bocook achieved a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds
-David Shriver contributed 14 points and seven rebounds
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers are away from Osborne Hall for the next four contests, the first of which is in Columbus, Ohio, as Malone faces Ohio Dominican University on January 31. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.