The Malone University men's basketball team suffered a 75-68 loss to Hillsdale College Saturday afternoon in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) road contest. Just one week after losing 81-60 at home to the Chargers, a game in which they trailed by over 30 points, the Pioneers grinded and went shot-for-shot with Hillsdale for much of the game, but ultimately fell short in the road defeat.
 
The loss marked the third straight and the fifth in the last seven games for Malone, which dropped to 5-6 in conference play and 11-10 overall. Hillsdale's victory lifted the Chargers to 9-2 in league play and 13-7 on the season.
 
Recap
In a tightly-contested affair from the first whistle, neither team led by more than five points in the first half. The first 20 minutes included seven ties and nine lead changes. Malone grabbed what was its largest lead of the game with 7:55 remaining when a pair of free throws from Marcus Ernst made it 20-15. Hillsdale would go on a 17-9 run punctuated by an open three and eventually led 37-35 at the break.
 
Malone shot well in the first half, converting 13-of-26 shot attempts (50%) and 7-of-8 (87.5%) free throws to keep the pressure on the Chargers. Pioneer forwards Sehill Mouliom (11) and Marcus Ernst (8) combined for 19 points and Jaret Majestic cashed in a pair of three-pointers in the half.
 
The second stanza saw Malone momentarily regain the lead 41-40, but Hillsdale's Patrick Cartier scored nine straight Charger points and the Pioneers never led again.
 
Down 66-57 with just under four minutes to play, Malone continued to fight and narrowed the margin to within three points over the next two minutes. Ernst strong-armed in layups on three straight possessions and Mouliom added another to make it 68-65, but Hillsdale responded with a three-point play and held on late for the seven-point victory.

Game Highlights

• The Pioneers finished 48.1% (25-of-52) from the field and 80% (16-for-20) at the free throw line, but were hurt by their performance from three-point range.
• Malone made a season-low two three-pointers, and finished just 2-of-12 (16.7%) from deep. The two treys marked the fewest in a game by Malone since 2011.
• Hillsdale shot 47.5% (28-for-59) overall, made six three-pointers and committed just seven turnovers in win.
• The Chargers also turned six offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points. Malone tallied just two.
• In total, the contest was tied 12 times and the lead switched sides on 11 separate occasions.
   

Pioneer Highlights

• Marcus Ernst collected a team-high 19 points, seven rebounds, and a blocked shot.
• Playing 37 of 40 minutes, Sehill Mouliom totaled 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded a steal.
• Jaret Majestic registered 12 points, including a 7-for-7 effort at the free-throw line, and three assists.
• Daylan Haynie provided eight points, six rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
• Bo Myers added 10 points off of the bench.
   

Charger Highlights

• Patrick Cartier scored a game-high 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting.
• Connor Hill recorded 10 points, five assists, and four steals.
   

Up Next
The Pioneers will host Ohio Valley on Thursday, February 6th. Tip is scheduled for 8:00 pm.