The Malone University men's basketball team pulled off their second comeback victory of the week on Saturday afternoon, this one in overtime, by a score of 88-86. The win marks the Pioneers' third consecutive victory and fifth in the last six games. Marcus Ernst converted the game-tying lay-up with just 13 seconds remaining in the second half to cap a 5-0 run in the final 31 seconds of regulation and a defensive stop added an extra period to the game.
 
The Pioneers avenge their loss in mid-January in Painesville with the win and Malone now holds a record of 16-11, 10-7 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Lake Erie falls to 14-13 overall and 10-9 in the conference.
 
Recap:
Eli Ramsey started the game on the right foot, scoring four points and grabbing two defensive rebounds before the first media timeout. A highlight reel play came at the 16-minute mark when Sehill Mouliom made a flashy pass to his post partner Marcus Ernst, who threw down a two-handed slam to give the Pioneers a modest 8-6 lead.
 
The lead was traded back and forth through the middle stages of the first and big three-point baskets from Lake Erie's Kaleb Vaughn. Lake Erie achieved their largest first half lead at 23-16 with seven minutes remaining. A quick 7-0 run from the Pioneers, fueled by a Marcus Ernst jump shot in the paint, an Eli Ramsey three, and a Kenneth McCullough-Lomax Jr. lay-up tied the game at 23.
 
Sharpshooter Bo Myers knocked down a pair of free throws and a big three to end the half, but the Storm held a slim 32-30 advantage after a Kevin Peterson tip-in with a few ticks left. The Pioneers struggled to shoot from behind the three-point line in the half, going just 2-of-10 (20.0%). Ramsey led the way with nine points and seven rebounds.
 
Mouliom tied the game to start the second half with a lay-up, but baskets were hard to come by. Suddenly with 17 minutes left, the teams were trading baskets left and right. A dunk from Mouliom and jump shots from Majestic and Ramsey on consecutive trips down the floor were all assisted by Daylan Haynie, who finished with a career-best 13 assists. The Storm answered with scores on five straight possessions that led to a 43-38 advantage.
 
Erron James gave the Storm their largest lead of the game at eight with a lay-up following a block from Kaleb Vaughn on the other end. The Malone defensive stood tall and held Lake Erie scoreless for over three minutes as the home squad scratched and clawed back into it. Ernst sank two free throws, Mouliom rocked the rim once again with a dunk and Myers finished a lay-up on the fastbreak to trim the deficit to just two at 59-57.
 
Harrison Riggs stopped the bleeding with a jump shot at 4:58 left that led to a mini-run for the Storm. With 1:52 to play, Kaleb Vaughn was good inside to give Lake Erie a 71-63 lead. Sehill Mouliom put a miss back in and was fouled with 1:28 to play that made it 71-66.
 
With the full court press on, Marcus Ernst deflected a ball off of a Storm player to give it back to Malone where Bo Myers was fouled on an offensive rebound to make it a one possession game. Harrison Riggs scored on a couple of shots from the charity stripe to extend the lead to five with 32 seconds remaining.
 
With Jaret Majestic in the building, you can't get a high hand quick enough, and he made the Storm pay for leaving him open from long range and connected on a huge three-pointer to make the score 73-71. Following a miss on the front end of a one-and-one, the Pioneers came down the floor and fed it inside to Ernst for a lay-in to tie the game at 73 and send it to overtime.
 
In the overtime, Malone picked up right where they left off. The Pioneers went on an 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 84-75, highlighted by back-to-back three pointers from Bo Myers. Lake Erie fought back however, and made it interesting with a four-point play from Erron James, but it was not enough to complete the comeback as Malone held on to win 88-86 in the extra period.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, men's basketball seniors Daylan Haynie and Sehill Mouliom were honored for their accomplishments in a Pioneer uniform.
 
          
 
Game Highlights:
- The biggest statistical difference in the game can be seen at the free throw line. The Pioneers shot 23-of-28 (82.1%) at the line, while Lake Erie was just 9-of-12 (75.0%).
- The Storm held a slight edge in paint points, outscoring Malone 44-40.
- The Pioneers went 29-of-68 (42.6%) overall from the field and Lake Erie 34-of-78 (43.6%).
 
Malone Individual Highlights:
- Daylan Haynie finished with six points, seven rebounds and a career-best 13 assists in Saturday's game, accounting for 32 total points.
- Bo Myers netted 22 points, six boards and was 9-of-9 from the free throw line.
- Big men Sehill Mouliom and Marcus Ernst combined for 37 points (20 from Mouliom and 17 from Ernst). Ernst finished with a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Lake Erie Individual Highlights:
- Harrison Riggs scored 27 points, including 19 in the second half and overtime.
- Gabe Kynard and Kaleb Vaughn had double-doubles, with Kynard scoring 18 points and collecting 10 boards and Vaughn with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
- Erron James scored 17 points off the bench for the Storm.
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers travel up the road next Wednesday, February 26th to Walsh University to take on the Cavaliers in their final game of the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.