The Malone University men's basketball team has reached the championship four in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Basketball Championships. The Pioneers will face the Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers in the G-MAC semifinals on Friday, March 6 at 8 pm. The remaining championship games will be hosted by the University of Findlay as the highest remaining seed left in the tournament.
 
Follow Along:
G-MAC Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal Game:
#5 Malone vs #8 Kentucky Wesleyan (at Findlay)
Friday, March 6 at 8 pm
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/findlay/
Live Stats: http://athletics.findlay.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/boxscores/20200306_v7v4.xml
 
Previous Matchup:
Malone and Kentucky Wesleyan only squared off once in the 2019-20 season, with the Panthers winning at Osborne Hall in overtime 81-73. Adam Goetz was the game's leading scorer with 23 points. He also collected four rebounds and dished out five assists.
 
#5 Malone Team Notes: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Quarterfinal Game: W @ Cedarville 73-71
 
Malone picked up a victory in the G-MAC Quarterfinals over Cedarville on Tuesday night by a score of 73-71. Although Malone only had one field goal in the final 9:38, free throw shooting and exceptional defense allowed for the Pioneers to not relinquish the lead in the closing minutes. Malone has made more free throws this season (385) than their opponents have attempted (379).
 
In the last game versus Kentucky Wesleyan, Malone was held to just 41.8% from the field and 2-of-8 in the overtime period. The Pioneers shot 7-of-23 (30.4%) from beyond the arc as well, both below their season averages. Malone hurt Kentucky Wesleyan for 11 offensive rebounds and assisted on 18 of 28 made field goals. The Pioneers have only been a part of two overtime games this season and hold a record of 1-1 after defeating Lake Erie 88-86 on February 22.
 
Sehill Mouliom is averaging 19.0 points per game over his last five. In all five, Mouliom has had a field goal percentage above 50%. He scored a team-high 18 points in the win over Cedarville and was 7-of-12 from the floor. He has also played 35 minutes or more in four of the five contests.
 
Jaret Majestic is the team's leading scorer at 16.0 points per game. In the Quarterfinal game at Cedarville, Majestic scored 12 points with three three-point makes and brought down a career-high eight rebounds.
 
Marcus Ernst secured 11 rebounds in Tuesday's Quarterfinal game, and tied a season-high with five offensive rebounds. The Pioneers scored 11 second chance points in the victory. Ernst is second in the G-MAC with 8.8 rebounds per game.
 
Daylan Haynie played all 40 minutes in the Quarterfinal game, the third consecutive game in which Haynie played 40 minutes or more. The senior point guard scored 11 points and dished out six assists in the victory. On the season, Haynie is averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 assists per game. He has the fourth highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (2.4).
 
Eli Ramsey had a solid game versus Lake Erie with 11 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Bo Myers scored seven points and rung in six boards against Kentucky Wesleyan the first time around. In the Quarterfinal game versus Cedarville, Kenneth McCullough-Lomax Jr. knocked down a pair of three-point shots in the first half.
 
#8 Kentucky Wesleyan Team Notes: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Quarterfinal Game: W @ Hillsdale 80-72
 
Kentucky Wesleyan shocked the top-seeded Hillsdale Chargers in their Quarterfinal game on Tuesday, winning 80-72. The Panthers shot 54.2% from the field in the game, and 47.8% from three-point land. In the second half, they were very efficient, going 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the floor.
 
After not going to the free throw line in the first half, Kentucky Wesleyan went 17-of-21 (80.1%) from the charity stripe in the second stanza. As a team this season, the Panthers shoot 70.3%, going 241-of-343 from the free throw line.
 
Adam Goetz is the team's leading scorer at 16.6 points per game. He, along with Sasha Sukhanov and Wyatt Battaile, netted 19 points apiece in the win over Hillsdale. Goetz led all scorers with 23 points in the win over Malone earlier this season.
 
Sukhanov not only scored 19 points in the Quarterfinal game, but was 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from deep. Battaile was 4-of-6 from behind the line and brought down a team-high seven rebounds against the Chargers.
 
Zach Hopewell averages 10.0 points per game for the Panthers over the course of the season and played 37 minutes in Tuesday's triumph. Hopewell was held in check with only five points in the first matchup versus the Pioneers.
 
Jo Griffin is the team's fifth projected starter. He leads the team in assists with 101 on the season, 3.7 per game. Griffin played 41 minutes in the overtime affair versus Malone earlier this year.
 
The winner of Friday's Semifinal game between Malone and Kentucky Wesleyan will face the winner of the #2 Findlay vs #3 Walsh Semifinal game on the other side of the bracket. The G-MAC Men's Basketball Championship game will take place on Saturday, March 7 at 2 pm.
 
#2 Findlay Team Notes: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Quarterfinal Game: W vs Lake Erie 85-69
 
Although the score may not look like it, the Findlay Oilers were given a scare from the number seven seed Lake Erie Storm on Tuesday night. After facing a 44-32 halftime deficit, the Oilers went on a tear, outscoring the Storm 53-25 in the final 20 minutes.
 
Findlay had five players score in double digits in Tuesday's game. Ethan Linder was the top man with 18 points. Aaron Overhiser scored 16 points and gobbled up a game-high 17 rebounds. Tommy Schmock, the conference's leader in assists and steals, netted 15 points, dished out five assists and accumulated five steals in the win.
 
Malone and Findlay met one time in the regular season. Findlay won at home, which would be the site of competition should both teams win their Semifinal games, by a score of 69-63. Jaret Majestic scored 19 points and hit six three-point bombs in the game. Marcus Ernst chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds. Nathan Bruns scored a team-high 16 points and collected 11 total rebounds, seven on the offensive end.
 
#3 Walsh Team Notes: Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Quarterfinal Game: W vs Ohio Dominican 67-66
 
After being down 23 points versus the Ohio Dominican Panthers, the Walsh Cavaliers stormed all the way back to win following three free throws from Darryl Straughter with .4 seconds left. The Cavaliers were down two before a foul sent Straughter to the line where he calmly stepped up and nailed all three to seal the win.
 
JT Shumate scored 18 points, with 16 in the second half, to secure the come-from-behind win. Straughter and Christian Montigue each finished with 17 points. Walsh took advantage of 17 Panther turnovers that led to 18 points on the other end. The Cavaliers won the paint battle 40-26 and scored 18 fast break points compared to only three for Ohio Dominican.
 
Should Malone and Walsh face one another in the G-MAC Championship game, it would be the unprecedented third meeting in 19 days between the teams. Malone won a nail biter at home 77-76, but Walsh avenged their loss nine days later with a 74-59 victory on their home floor.