The Malone University men's basketball team fell on Thursday night to Cedarville University by a score of 74-58. The Pioneers had a solid first half, only trailing 28-25, but the Yellow Jackets pulled away in the closing stages of the second half, outscoring Malone 46-33 in the final stanza.
 
The Pioneers head into Monday's rivalry game with Walsh with a record of 13-11, an even 7-7 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Cedarville wins their seventh consecutive game and advances to 15-8 overall and 10-3 in conference play.
 
Recap:
In the opening minutes, both teams struggled to find the touch to get the ball through the net. The lead changed hands more than a few times in the first half, with Malone taking their first lead at 6-4 with an Eli Ramsey jump shot less than three minutes into the game.
 
Pace of play slowed from there as Malone's Daylan Haynie was the team's only scorer with five points over the next eight minutes. Although there was a lack of scoring, the defense kept the Pioneers in the game as a jumper by Sehill Mouliom broke the cold spell and made it 16-14 Cedarville.
 
Back-to-back makes from Bo Myers (a mid-range jumper and a three-point shot) followed by a jumper inside the arc by Jaret Majestic gave Malone the lead back at 23-22. A dunk from Quinton Green of the Yellow Jackets would swing momentum back Cedarville's way and guide them to a 28-25 first half lead.
 
Cedarville would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night, even though the Pioneers kept it to within two possessions for most of the second half. Each time Malone would strike for a basket, the Yellow Jackets would answer with a big play like a Branden Maughmer dunk or Isaiah Speelman three-ball.
 
With just over eight minutes left, Mouliom converted a lay-up to cut the deficit to four, but Cedarville went on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to give them their first double-digit lead of the day and roll to an eventual 16-point victory.
 
Game Highlights:
- Cedarville shot lights out in the second half, converting on 21-of-31 attempts from the field (67.7%). Malone had no answer, going just 10-of-30 (33.3%).
- The Pioneers got to the line much more than the Yellow Jackets, but shot 11-of-19 (57.9%). Cedarville only took four, but made all of them.
- In the paint, the Yellow Jackets outscored Malone 46-30.
 
Malone Individual Highlights:
- Daylan Haynie led the Pioneers in scoring with 14 points. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded two steals.
- Sehill Mouliom scored 13 points and secured seven total rebounds (four offensive).
- Eli Ramsey and Bo Myers each reached double digit scoring with 10 apiece.
 
Cedarville Individual Highlights:
- Branden Maughmer scored a game-high 19 points and was 8-for-18 from the field.
- Kollin Van Horn was efficient shooting the basketball at 7-for-11 and 15 total points.
- Off the bench, Isaiah Speelman and Jacob Drees had good performances with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Up Next:
Malone is at home for their next game on Monday, February 17 versus Walsh. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm.