The Malone University men's basketball team travels to Ohio Dominican University on Thursday, January 31st and then to Ohio Valley University this Saturday, February 2nd as it looks to improve its positioning in the
Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings.
The Pioneers come into the week in seventh place in the conference, two games back of Ohio Dominican in fifth. The Panthers, who defeated Malone in Canton earlier this season, are the defending G-MAC Champions.
GameDay
1/31 Malone at Ohio Dominican – 7:30 pm*
2/2 Malone at Ohio Valley – 3:00 pm*
Live video/stats:
portal.stretchinternet.com/malone
*The men's game will follow the women's game on both dates.
Team Comparison
| Category |
Malone |
ODU |
OVU |
| Record (G-MAC) |
11-8 (6-6) |
12-7 (8-4) |
6-11 (2-10) |
| Points per game |
76.1 |
79.0 |
74.3 |
| Points allowed |
71.5 |
71.3 |
81.8 |
| Scoring margin |
+4.6 |
+7.7 |
-7.5 |
| FG% |
45.4% |
47.3% |
43.8% |
| 3-point% |
36.2% |
39.7% |
34.6% |
| Free throw% |
63.5% |
72.9% |
71.7% |
| FG% defense |
44.3% |
43.4% |
45.4% |
| Rebounds |
36.7 |
40.8 |
36.7 |
| Rebound margin |
+2.1 |
+9.4 |
-2.2 |
| Turnover margin |
+0.4 |
-3.5 |
-4.1 |
Series History
Malone is 60-26 all-time against Ohio Dominican in a rivalry that dates back all the way to 1969. The Pioneers have dropped two straight to the Panthers, however, including a loss in last year's G-MAC Tournament and an 81-70 setback at home in early December.
Against Ohio Valley, Malone is unbeaten in four all-time meetings, all four of which have come in the G-MAC era. In late November, the Pioneers held off the scrappy Fighting Scots for a 73-61 victory.
Malone Notes
- The Pioneers are coming off an exciting and important 84-77 win over Alderson Broaddus last Saturday in which they overcame a seven-point, second-half deficit.
- Two days prior, Malone suffered a disappointing 78-73 setback to Davis & Elkins in which they committed an uncharacteristic season-high 20 turnovers.
- Senior guard Nate Sheppard (28) and junior guard Bryce Butler (22) combined for 50 points in the win over Alderson Broaddus. Both rank among the top-10 in the G-MAC in scoring as Sheppard leads the league, averaging 20.0 points per game. Butler is ninth, tossing in 15.8 points a night.
- Sheppard, who recently surpassed 1,500 career points, continues to climb the Malone all-time scoring list and could be as high as 12th by the end of the weekend. On the year, he has nine 20-point games, including 23 against Ohio Dominican and 20 vs. Ohio Valley earlier this season.
- In addition to leading the G-MAC in scoring, Sheppard also leads the G-MAC in made threes (57) and minutes played (33.3 mpg). The Pioneers are 9-2 when he leads them in scoring
- Butler, who paces Malone in three-point shooting percentage (47.0%), scored a then career-high 24 points against Ohio Dominican in December. He has averaged 18.9 points over the last seven games entering this weekend.
- Senior forward Ben Evans is third on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg) and second on the team in blocks (15). He also has at least one three-pointer in 17 of 19 games this season.
- Sophomore forward Marcus Ernst continues to thrive on the defensive end and on the glass. Ernst is coming off back-to-back 14-rebound games and a double-double (13-points) against Alderson Broaddus.
- Ernst (6.8 ppg) ranks fourth in the G-MAC in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and ninth in blocks (20). He is also tied for the team lead with 22 steals.
- Junior guard Daylan Haynie, who is scoring 8.4 points a night, has 22 steals and leads the team with 96 assists. Haynie is third in the G-MAC with 5.1 assists per game, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.9), and fifth in minutes played (32.2 mpg).
- Malone enters the week having won four of its last five games and five of the last seven. On the road, the Pioneers are 4-4 overall but have won three of the last four away from Osborne Hall.
Ohio Dominican Notes - Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
- The Panthers are 6-0 at home this season and winners of three of their last four games overall. Last week, ODU dropped a 79-63 decision at Cedarville on Thursday before bouncing back with an 83-69 win at Tiffin on Saturday.
- As a team, Ohio Dominican leads the G-MAC and ranks seventh in NCAA DII in rebounding margin. The Panthers are also second in the G-MAC in three-point shooting.
- Junior forward Hasan Varence, a Second Team All G-MAC pick last season, leads the league and ranks third in the nation with 12.0 rebounds per game. He is scoring 15.6 points per game on 52.2% shooting. Varence totaled a team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds against Malone in December.
- Guards Sam Hickey and Tahj Curry each scored 15 in the win at Malone. Hickey is sixth in the G-MAC in scoring (17.0 ppg) and has 56 made three-pointers.
Ohio Valley Notes - Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
- The Fighting Scots are 5-3 at home this season, but have lost three straight games overall. Last week, OVU lost road games at Tiffin (92-69) and at Cedarville (75-72).
- Senior guard Kenneth Miller tallied a game-high 23 points at Tiffin while junior guard Ty Dobson recorded a team-high 19 at Cedarville.
- On the season, Miller leads the team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and is second in the G-MAC in steals (36).
- Junior forward David Adeyemo (8.8 ppg) is sixth in the G-MAC in rebounds (7.9 rpg) and is second in Division II in blocked shots per game (3.4). Adeyemo scored a team-high 17 points against Malone in November.
- Sophomore guard Christian Alley tossed in 14 vs. Malone. He is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) this season.
