CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team looks to bounce back from their season-opening loss at Trevecca Nazarene in their second game of the season on Monday, January 4 at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
 
HARDWOOD SERIES HISTORY
Malone is 2-7 all-time versus the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan. The teams had not met before Malone joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in 2016.
 
As the eight seed in the 2020 G-MAC Men's Basketball Tournament, Kentucky Wesleyan knocked off the fifth-seeded Pioneers in the semifinal round, 81-79 (overtime). The lone regular season game between the two squads last season also ended in overtime, with Kentucky Wesleyan sweeping Malone 81-73.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
Malone Pioneers (0-1, 0-1 G-MAC) @ Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (2-2, 1-2 G-MAC)
Owensboro Sportscenter – Owensboro, KY (4:15 pm EST)
Live Video/Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/kwc/
 
MALONE PIONEERS NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
This game is a rescheduled contest due to COVID-19 from December 12, 2020. The Pioneers have played an exhibition game at Akron and dropped their first regular season game against Trevecca Nazarene, 58-57.
 
Malone held the lead against Akron for most of the game, but the Zips pulled away late to a 93-83 win. Although that game did not count, it showed that the Pioneers can score the basketball at a high rate. That is why it came as a surprise to most when Malone only scored 57 points in their season opener and shot just 34.8% from the field. The Pioneers are hoping the usually efficient offense returns to the court in the Owensboro Sportscenter.
 
Bryce Butler was the main offensive weapon against the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans. Butler scored 18 points, grabbed eight boards and dished out five assists.
 
Bo Myers tied Butler as the scoring leader in the game with 18 as well, including three shots from deep.
 
Jaret Majestic knocked down three shots from behind the arc against Trevecca and the sharpshooter scored 24 in the postseason matchup versus the Panthers in 2020.
 
Marcus Ernst had eight points and seven rebounds in game one, and looks to build upon his All-Conference season one year ago.
 
Levi Seiler was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in his career against the Trojans.
 
KENTUCKY WESLEYAN PANTHERS NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
The Panthers also had troubles with postponements early in the season, but are 2-2 in the 2020-21 season thus far. The Monday matinee will be the third game in five days for Kentucky Wesleyan, a feat that might become a norm for G-MAC schools in the reshuffling of the season schedule.
 
In their most recent game on January 2, Kentucky Wesleyan lost to Walsh 65-64 after a last second three-point shot from Kaleb Martin. Trevecca Nazarene is a common opponent for the two schools. The Panthers won the matchup with their central time zone foe 53-39 on December 31.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan is averaging 64.0 points per game in 2020-21 and is shooting 40.8% from the field. Tre Cobbs is the team's leading scorer and is coming off a 20-point performance against Walsh on Saturday. Cobbs is new to the Panther line-up and is a grad transfer from Northern Kentucky University.
 
Senior guard Zach Hopewell returns for the Panthers as the team's leading long-range shooter. Hopewell had a season-high 18 points in the season-opener versus Campbellsville-Harrodsburg.
 
Forwards Wyatt Battaile and Sasha Sukhanov are also back for Kentucky Wesleyan this season. Battaile burned the Pioneers for 17 points off the bench in their regular season meeting last season. The pair are the team's leading rebounders, combining to pull down nearly 14 rebounds per game.