The Malone University men's basketball team defeated NCAA Division II number 19 team in the nation, Walsh University, by a score of 77-76. It was a heavyweight fight from beginning to end and the Pioneers had to overcome a 14-point second half deficit in order to win their first game over Walsh in Osborne Hall since 2007.
 
After Walsh's Darryl Straughter connected on two free throws to give the Cavaliers a 76-75 lead, Malone came down on the other end and drew a foul of their own sending senior Sehill Mouliom to the charity stripe. Mouliom, a career 63.5% free throw shooter, stepped up to the line with ice in his veins and sank a pair to seal the win with just one tick remaining, even having to sit through a Walsh timeout between the shots.
 
Malone picks up a huge Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) victory and move to 14-11 overall, 8-7 in conference play. Walsh drops their second game in a row and fall to 20-5 on the season, 11-4 in the G-MAC.
 
Recap:
Sehill Mouliom started his scoring early for the Pioneers, hitting his first two lay-ups of the day, and giving Malone a modest 4-2 lead. An 8-0 Walsh run gave the Cavaliers an early lead and fueled a first half filled with big plays.
 
Jaret Majestic and Darryl Straughter matched each other three-for-three and Walsh took a 15-9 lead into the under-12 media timeout.
 
First half free throw shooting kept the Pioneers close in the middle stages of half number one. Eli Ramsey and Marcus Ernst each knocked down two at the line. Mid-range shooting from Bo Myers and threes from Majestic and Levi Seiler kept the contest from getting away from the home team in the first stanza.
 
Mark Kostelac tipped in a missed shot in the closing seconds of the first to give the Cavaliers a 41-30 lead at the halftime buzzer. Six offensive rebounds for Walsh led to the Cavaliers getting extra shots up in the half, going 16-of-35, compared to Malone's 9-of-26.
 
Another Darryl Straughter three gave Walsh its largest lead of the game at 14 less than two minutes into the second half. A quick 7-0 run turned the tables as Mouliom used a post move to get a lay-up, Ramsey knocked down a trifecta and a vicious tip slam from Mouliom (one of four he would achieve in the game). Another dunk by Mouliom in transition just 1:30 later cut the lead down to just five with 15 minutes left to play.
 
JT Shumate would answer with a dunk of his own following a steal by Conner Wess in the backcourt. The lead ballooned back up to 10, but the resilient Pioneer bunch went on a second 7-0 run, this time with a jumper by Ernst and a lay-up and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions from senior point guard Daylan Haynie.
 
With just over five minutes left and the Pioneers trailing 65-61, Bo Myers went to the line and converted a pair of freebees to cut the lead to two. The last media timeout occurred with 3:58 to play and Malone with the ball underneath their own basket. The coaching staff drew up a wonderful play to get Mouliom free in the paint and he rocked the rim with another jam to tie the game at 67.
 
Following a Caleb Canter lay-up for Walsh, Ernst and Mouliom scored on consecutive possessions to give Malone their first lead since the opening minutes at 71-69. Mark Mokros replied with a wing three that thrusted the Cavaliers back on top, but free throw shooting would again favor Malone as Ernst made two to put the red, blue and white back on top 73-72 with 2:07 remaining.
 
Dueling lay-ups from Shumate and Mouliom changed the lead twice over the next minute. Down 75-74, Walsh collected a rebound and ran out in transition. Straughter drew a foul with just nine seconds left and buried both free throws. With the pressure on, Haynie brought the ball up the floor facing token pressure in the backcourt. Falling out of bounds, Haynie somehow found Mouliom in traffic and a whistle gave the Pioneers a chance to win. Mouliom had the weight of a capacity crowd on his shoulders and cashed both free throws like he was in the gym alone to secure the 77-76 win.
 
The Pioneers outscored Walsh 47-35 in the second half to bring home the W.

Coach Kaufman's Thoughts:
On the second half comeback: "It was an emotional game and I am proud of the way we were resilient when we got down. We were disappointed after the first half, but made some adjustments offensively and I am pleased with the way we played in our motion."
 
On Sehill Mouliom at the free throw line: "Nobody shoots more free throws in his spare time than Sehill, so it was cool and fitting to see him step to the line in that spot."
 
Game Highlights:
- Walsh jumped out to a 14-point advantage early in the second half and Malone only had a two-point lead three different times in the game. However, the final went the Pioneers' way this evening in Osborne Hall.
- Malone's bench outscored Walsh's 17-2 in the game, including 14 points from Bo Myers
- The lead changed hands on eight different occasions and the score was tied seven times, most of which happening in the final four minutes.
- From the free throw line, Malone went 16-of-18 and Walsh 16-of-19.
 
Malone Individual Highlights:
- Sehill Mouliom was on fire this evening, going 11-of-14 from the field, scoring a career-best 26 points and collected five rebounds.
- Bo Myers chipped in with 14 points and a team-high eight boards. Myers tied his career-high with 31 minutes off the bench.
- Daylan Haynie was tremendous all-around, scoring seven points, pulling down six rebounds and recording five assists.
 
Walsh Individual Highlights:
- All five starters were in double figures, with Darryl Straugter leading the way with 21.
- Christian Montigue scored 14 points, gathered eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
- Caleb Canter had 12 points and a pair of dunks.
 
Up Next:
Malone is at home this weekend, starting with a Thursday night game versus Ohio Dominican. Tip-off is slated for 8 pm.