The Malone University men's basketball team held Clarion University to just 31.1% shooting, the lowest by a Pioneer opponent in their own gym since 2010, in a 66-54 non-conference road win in Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday evening. With the victory, Malone improved to 5-4 on the season.
 
Recap
In a game in which they never trailed, the Pioneers opened up a 10-4 lead five minutes into the contest on the strength of three-point buckets from Eli Ramsey and Daylan Haynie. Junior sharpshooter Jaret Majestic would get himself into the long-range act, knocking down three triples in a five-minute span while helping the Pioneers to a 24-14 advantage with eight minutes to go in the half.
 
After the Golden Eagles hit back-to-back treys of their own, Malone closed out the half on a 9-2 run and took a 33-22 lead into intermission. While the Pioneers were limited to just nine field goals, they added nine free throws and held Clarion to 28.6% shooting (10-of-35) with a tenacious half-court defense.
 
Malone scored the first six points of the second half on layups from Sehill Mouliom, Ramsey, and Ernst and eventually grabbed their largest lead of the game six minutes into the session when Majestic canned his fourth three of the game to make it 46-27.
 
The Golden Eagles struggled to mount a comeback against the relentless Pioneer defense, but eventually made it a single-digit game with just under three minutes to play. Clarion came within eight points at 56-48 with 90 seconds remaining and tried to extend the game at the free-throw line, but to no avail. Malone knocked down 10 of 12 freebies late in the contest to secure the road defeat.

Game Highlights

• Malone finished 24-of-30 (80%) at the charity stripe, and 8-for-20 (40%) from long distance.
• Clarion made just 23-of-74 field goal attempts, including a 3-of-18 (16.7%) performance beyond the arc. Entering the game, Malone had the fifth-worst three-point percentage defense in Division II.
• Despite giving up 16 offensive boards, Malone outrebounded Clarion 43-38 and allowed the Golden Eagles to convert just four second-chance points.
• Despite committing nine more turnovers (19-10), Malone also held a 23-6 edge in fast break points.

Pioneer Highlights

• Jaret Majestic finished with a team-high 18 points and a team-best +17 (+/-) rating.
• Senior Sehill Mouliom recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Marcus Ernst also achieved a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in addition to two blocked shots.
• Playing 38 of 40 minutes, Daylan Haynie contributed nine points, five boards, and two assists.
   

Golden Eagle Highlights

• Kaison Branch led all scorers with 19 points.
• Elijah Cottrill added 13 points and three steals.

Up Next
Malone will take a three-game winning streak into their conference-opening matchup against Cedarville on Saturday, December 7th. Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm.