In their first home overtime game since 2015, the Malone University men's basketball team came up short in an exciting, back-and-forth clash with Kentucky Wesleyan College. After a 66-66 tie in regulation, the Pioneers were outscored 15-7 in the five-minute extra session as they saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. With the defeat, Malone fell to 9-6 on the season, 3-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
Recap
Kentucky Wesleyan (5-8, 4-2 G-MAC) opened up a 7-0 lead in the early minutes of the contest, but Malone quickly battled back and turned the game into a slugfest. Once the Pioneers tied the game at 19-19, neither team would lead by more than two points for remainder of the opening frame. By halftime, the score was deadlocked at 35-35 as forwards Marcus Ernst and Sehill Mouliom accounted for a dozen points each.
 
Malone came out of the half and put together a modest 12-5 run to take its largest lead of the game. Jaret Majestic put the Pioneers in front with a three-ball from the left wing, Ernst excited the crowd with a signature two-handed slam, and Eli Ramsey gave the Pioneers a 47-40 edge with a three-pointer in transition.
 
Within seven minutes, though, the Panthers were up by six after capitalizing on a 13-point swing and a 17-4 run that made it a 57-51 contest with under nine minutes to play. The lead remained at six until the four-minute mark when senior guard Daylan Haynie sparked a 6-0 run with a pair of tough buckets in the paint and Mouliom tied the game at 64-64 with a slam dunk off an assist from Haynie under the rim.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan went back in front 66-64 with a minute to play before Haynie once again delivered a tough shot from inside five feet to tie the contest at 66-66 with 32 seconds to go. The Panthers would have a chance to win it late, but the Pioneer defense forced a shot clock violation and ultimately overtime.
 
Malone unfortunately never led in the extra frame which began on a 5-0 KWC run. With under two minutes to play, the Pioneers closed the gap to four points on two separate occasions on treys from Bo Myers and Jaret Majestic, but were rebutted each time with Panther points. Wesleyan would knock down four free throws in the final minute on its way to securing the 81-73 victory.
 
Game Highlights
-The eight-point margin to end the game was the largest for either team all afternoon.
-Malone charted a season-low eight turnovers while KWC committed only seven in the 45-minute affair.
-The Panthers held the edge in field goals, shooting 48.4% (30-62) overall and 11-for-29 from distance.
-Malone made just 41.8% (28-of-67) from the field and 7-of-23 from long range.
-The Pioneers maintained a 40-36 rebounding margin and a 38-30 edge in points in the paint.
-The Panther bench outscored Malone's 27-7.
 
Pioneer Highlights
-Sehill Mouliom scored a team-high 18 points and recorded three rebounds and three assists.
-Junior forward Marcus Ernst totaled 16 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. The 17 rebounds for Ernst marked the most by a Pioneer since 2007.
-Classmate Jaret Majestic equaled Ernst with 16 points.
-Daylan Haynie collected 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a game-high eight assists
 
Panther Highlights
-Adam Goetz scored a game-high 23 points and handed out five assists
-Mohmaed Abu Arisha added 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots.
 
Up Next
Malone will travel to Lake Erie on Thursday, January 9th to meet Lake Erie in a G-MAC bout.