The Malone University men's basketball team made 28 of 29 free throws in a come-from-behind win at Ohio Valley University on Thursday night. The Pioneers, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, missed their first free throw but remarkably made their final 28, including 21 in the second half to earn an 80-77 win.
 
With the victory, Malone climbed to 10-7 on the season, and 5-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Ohio Valley, meanwhile, fell to 4-13 (1-7 G-MAC).
 
Recap
After opening up the game with a 9-3 run highlighted by an Eli Ramsey three-pointer and a pair of Marcus Ernst layups, Malone saw its lead quickly erased on an eight-point swing by the Fighting Scots. Down 14-12, freshman Bo Myers sparked a Malone scoring burst with the first of three first-half three-pointers. His third trey gave the Pioneers a 32-25 lead with 3:31 remaining, but OVU trimmed the margin to just two points, 40-38, by halftime.
 
The home team came out red-hot in the second half, firing off a 16-2 run and taking a 54-42 lead before the first media timeout. By the 12-minute mark, the margin was still 12 as the Fighting Scots took advantage of open shots and managed a 63-51 lead.
 
Buckets from Daylan Haynie and Ernst ignited a slow but steady comeback effort. Malone drained 10 free throws during a five-minute span, each time coming back with energy and tenacity on the defensive end.
 
The lead was still seven, 75-68, with 2:09 left to play when Sehill Mouliom converted an old-fashioned three-point play. A possession later, Ramsey sank two at the line to cut the score to 75-73. Ohio Valley came up empty on its next trip down the floor, giving Malone the chance at its first lead since the 18-minute mark.
 
With just under a minute to play, Daylan Haynie delivered a huge three-pointer from the right corner on a wide open look set up by a pass from Ramsey. After OVU missed the front end of one-and-one on the ensuing, they were forced to foul down the stretch. Junior guard Jaret Majestic, a 96% shooter from the free-throw line this season, sank four late freebies to secure Malone's 80-77 triumph.
 
Game Highlights
-Malone finished 96.6% (28-29) at the free-throw line, marking the 14th highest percentage by an NCAA Division II team this season, and the third highest by any NCAA team (DI, DII, or DIII) with at least 26 makes.
-Ohio Valley shot just 66.7% (16-24) on free throws. They were also 27-67 (40.3%) from the field and 7-23 (30.4%) from distance.
-Malone shot 40.7% (22-54) on field goals, including 8-23 (34.8%) from three-point land.
-Both teams took good care of the basketball, combining for just 19 turnovers (OVU:8, MU:11).
-Despite the low turnover totals, OVU still collected 14 points off turnovers and 15 fastbreak points.
 
Pioneer Individual Highlights
-Jaret Majestic made only three field goals, but ended the night with a team-high 20 points thanks to a 12-of-12 performance on free throws.
-Sehill Mouliom (6-8 FG, 5-5 FT) scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
-Bo Myers scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half. He added five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
-Marcus Ernst contributed 12 points, six boards, and three assists.
-Eli Ramsey (6-6 FT) provided nine points, six rebounds, and two assists.
 
Fighting Scot Individual Highlights
-Dylan Harrison and Keon Claiborne each scored 19 points and recorded two steals
-Parker Black added nine points, nine assists, and eight rebounds
 
Up Next
Malone returns home to host Alderson Broaddus University this Saturday, January 18th at 3:00 pm.