The Malone University men's basketball team used a balanced scoring effort as five different players scored in double digits in a 93-77 season-opening win over Oakland City University (IN) Friday afternoon in a Midwest Region crossover event at Hillsdale College in Michigan.
Recap
Following a layup by
Daylan Haynie on Malone's first possession of the season, the Mighty Oaks grabbed their only lead of the game with a three-pointer on the subsequent trip down the court. Malone regained the lead for good over their southern Indiana counterparts on a layup from
Marcus Ernst and a three-pointer by sophomore by
Eli Ramsey – his first career points as a collegian.
Ramsey would knock down three treys in the first five minutes of the game as Malone ballooned its lead to 19-10 in a high-scoring affair. Over the next six minutes, the margin swelled to 17 points following back-to-back three-pointers by freshmen
Levi Seiler and
Bo Myers.
A 33-16 advantage was whittled down to just two points, however, as a 19-4 Mighty Oaks run made it a 37-35 contest. Malone fought back with a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 44-35 by halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Oakland City came as close as eight points at 52-44, but the Pioneers pulled away with a 12-2 run highlighted by a trio of treys from Majestic and another from Myers. Malone maintained a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the second half, cruising to the 93-77 victory.
Game Highlights
- The 93 points for Malone were the second-highest in the last 46 games.
- The Pioneers canned 11-of-30 three-pointers and shot an even 50% (34-of-68) overall.
- Oakland City also shot 50% (30-60) overall and 45.5% (10-22) from distance.
- Malone made seven more free throws (14-7), six fewer turnovers, and outrebounded OCU 39-33.
- The Pioneers recorded 11 steals in the contest, equaling their season-highs from each of the past two seasons.
Pioneer Highlights
- Freshman Bo Myers impressed in his Pioneer debut, scoring a team-high 20 points while snagging a team-high seven rebounds. He also added three assists and a pair of steals.
- Coming off the bench, Jaret Majestic netted four three-pointers and finished with 17 points, including 15 in the second half. The junior added two thefts on the defensive end.
- Eli Ramsey scored 14 of his 15 points in the first half while contributing three assists and two steals in his first career start.
- Fresh off an impressive outing in an exhibition at DI Akron, senior center Sehill Mouliom finished with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
- Senior point guard Daylan Haynie tallied 11 points and a team-high five assists.
- Junior forward Marcus Ernst collected eight points, five boards, and three assists.
Mighty Oaks Highlights
- Javan Miller (8-10 FG) scored 18 points in just 18 minutes off the bench.
- Tyler Toopes (4-5 3PT) added 16 points in only 17 minutes played.
Up Next
Malone will square off against the University of Southern Indiana on Saturday at 5:00 pm.
