The Malone University men's basketball team held on late to beat Point Park University 79-76 in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Osborne Hall. The homestanding Pioneers led by as many 19 points in the first half and led by 11 with eight minutes to play, but needed a game-ending blocked shot to secure the victory. With the win, Malone improved to 4-4 on the season.
 
Recap
In a high-scoring opening session, Malone scored 13 points in the first four minutes as a put-back dunk from Sehill Mouliom gave the Pioneers a 13-9 lead. Less than eight minutes later, the lead swelled to a game-high 19 points when a 10-0 run, ignited by three-pointers from Eli Ramsey and Bo Myers and capped off by a Levi Seiler jumper in the paint, made it a 35-16 contest.
 
By halftime, the home team still led 48-34 thanks in large part to a 55.9% (19-of-34) performance from the floor.
 
Malone maintained a double-digit edge until the 12-minute mark of the second stanza when Stark County native Kameron Shockley brought Point Park within nine (59-50) with a three-point basket. By the under-eight media timeout, Malone still led 66-55 following a clutch three-pointer from Myers.
 
By the next media timeout with 3:43 remaining, the lead slipped to just three points as a 10-2 Point Park run closed the margin to 68-65. Following seven straight MU points from Jaret Majestic, the lead was extended to 75-67 with 90 seconds to play. The lead was short-lived, however, as a 5-0 PPU run made it a 75-72 game with 33 seconds left to go.
 
Three Daylan Haynie free throws and two Point Park field goals led to a 78-76 margin with just 12 seconds to go. After dribbling eight seconds off the clock, the Pioneers made one of two free throw attempts, leaving Point Park the ball with four seconds to play and a chance to tie it. A cross-court pass would lead to a decent look on a game-tying three but a game-ending blocked shot by Eli Ramsey let the Malone breathe a sigh of relief and escape with a three-point victory.

Game Highlights

• After shooting almost 56% in the first half, the Pioneers shot a tick over 32% in the second half and missed eight second-half free throws.
• For the game, Malone finished 28-of-62 (45.2%) from the field, 6-for-23 (26.1%) from beyond the arc, and 11-of-19 (57.9%) at the free-throw
• Malone held a 41-33 edge in total rebounds, including 14 offensive boards.
• The Point Park bench outscored Malone's 33-24

Malone Pioneer Highlights

• Despite missing five second-half free throws, Marcus Ernst scored a game-high 19 points. He added a game-high eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
• Senior point guard Daylan Haynie was next with 15 points and six boards
• Jaret Majestic chipped in 11 points and two steals
• Sehill Mouliom and Eli Ramsey each finished with 10 points, two assists, and two steals. Mouliom added seven rebounds.

Point Park Pioneer Highlights

• Shockley led his team with 16 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
• Sherron Schifino added 15 points off of the bench.

Up Next
Malone will look to extend its win streak to three in a row next Wednesday, December 4th at Clarion.