CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team competes in their fourth consecutive home game on Saturday as the Pioneers play host to the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans, from Nashville, Tennessee. Malone looks to avenge a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) loss to the Trojans in the opening game of the 2020-21 season for the Pioneers.
 
HARDWOOD SERIES HISTORY:
The two teams met on January 2, with Trevecca Nazarene coming away with a 58-57 victory. Adam Webb (22 points) and Imani Starling (20 points) were the game's leading scorers in Nashville and Malone was led by Bo Myers and Bryce Butler with 18 points apiece.
 
Head-to-head, Malone holds a 6-2 record against Trevecca Nazarene. Prior to the loss earlier this season, Malone had won four consecutive games.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
Malone Pioneers (2-5, 1-5 G-MAC) vs Trevecca Nazarene Trojans (2-10, 2-8 G-MAC)
Osborne Hall – Canton, Ohio
Live Video/Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/malone/
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/malone-mens-basketball-vs-trevecca-nazarene-university-tickets-137828355321
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MALONE PIONEERS NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
The Pioneers will look to strengthen their play on the defensive end of the floor after giving up a season-high 90 points to Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday. The game plan for this game will be much different for Malone defensively. The Panthers looked to the three-ball for offense, while Trevecca Nazarene will look to get the ball inside to their big man on the blocks, and get into the paint with their guards off the dribble.
 
Malone did a great job to get to the charity stripe in Thursday's game. The Pioneers knocked down 15-of-19 attempts, a season-high in both makes and attempts. Bryce Butler (6-of-6) and Bo Myers (2-of-2) were perfect from the charity stripe.
 
Marcus Ernst was the offensive focal point for the Pioneers against Kentucky Wesleyan and did a great job distributing the basketball from the low post with five assists. The matchup to watch on Saturday will be Ernst versus Adam Webb and Brendan Newton on the inside and if getting the ball to the big man will still be a priority. Brian Read and Erwin Gutic each saw time at the center position in the first meeting.
 
Bo Myers led the way scoring-wise for Malone in their most recent game with 23 points. Myers continues to climb the G-MAC individual stat leaders and now sits second in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
 
Jaret Majestic netted 14 points in Thursday's loss to Kentucky Wesleyan and is now just 14 points away from 1,000 in his Pioneer career.
 
TREVECCA NAZARENE TROJANS NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
Trevecca Nazarene has dropped their last five contests and their last win was against the Pioneers on January 2. The Trojans are last in the conference in scoring at 55.0 points per game. Defensively, Trevecca Nazarene is fifth, only allowing 68.3 points per game.
 
Imani Starling is the only player who has started and playing in all 12 games for the Trojans in 2020-21. The senior guard averages 7.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 1.9 assists per game. His 20-point scoring game against the Pioneers was one of three games where Starling reached double-digits.
 
Adam Webb has made seven starts and is the team's ironman at 32.9 minutes per contest. Webb averages 12.0 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. Standing at 7'2, his presence inside was felt by the Pioneers in their previous matchup. Trevecca limited Malone to 24 paint points, their lowest in a game this season.
 
Statistically, the team's leading scorer is Brendan Newton at 12.5 points per game. Newton also stands at 7'2 and is a transfer from Liberty University. The junior has a presence around the rim, and can occasionally step out and hit the three. In all, Newton has a field goal percentage of 62.1%. Newton was inactive for the first season matchup.
 
Austin Wills and Chris Rogers round out the projected starting lineup for the Trojans. Wills is the team's leading volume shooter at 6.8 attempts from beyond the arc per game. Rogers is a sophomore guard averaging 10.8 shot attempts per game, the most on the team.