FINDLAY, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to the sixth ranked Findlay Oilers on Friday by a score of 80-77. After Bo Myers converted an and-one to tie the game, Ethan Linder knocked down a three-point dagger for the Oilers to seal the victory. Marcus Ernst finished with a career-best 29 points in the game and made his first 11 shots in a row from the field.
 
Malone falls to 0-3 this season and 0-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The number six team in NCAA DII remains unbeaten at 6-0 and 5-0 in league play.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Malone jumped out to an early advantage fueled by hot shooting. The Pioneers went on a stretch where they scored on six consecutive possessions, including six points from Ernst and five from Myers, and held a 15-9 lead.
 
Findlay answered with a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead 16-15 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half.
 
Five lead changes took place after that as the squads traded buckets. Marcus Ernst and Anthony Masterlasco went back and forth in the middle stages and the Pioneers came out of it with a 25-24 lead with 6:29 in the first.
 
Bo Myers and Levi Seiler were primary scorers late in the half and Marcus Ernst hit a jump shot in the paint with one tick left to secure a 37-35 lead at the break.
 
Ernst added to his stellar day with back-to-back baskets to start the second half, however the three-point prowess of Andrew Owens for Findlay kept the Oilers on pace.
 
With the game tied at 64 with less than eight minutes left, the Pioneer offense was spurred by Ernst and Seiler to take a slight lead. Tommy Schmock delivered a three-point shot with under four minutes left that gave Findlay a 71-70 advantage.
 
Anthony Masterlasco and Bryce Butler traded baskets, followed by Masterlasco and Bo Myers to make it 75-74 Findlay. Andrew Owens connected on two free throws to make the score 77-74 with one minute left to play. With 36 seconds left in regulation, Myers converted an and-one with a jumper in the paint to tie the game up at 77. After a timeout and winding the clock down, Ethan Linder buried the game-winning three-point shot to close an 80-77 win.
 
PIONEER POINTS

• The lead changed hands 25 times in the game, the most since January 26, 2012 when Malone and Salem traded the lead 25 times as well.
• The Pioneers shot 58.2% from the field overall, the highest shooting percentage since Malone vs Tiffin one year ago.
• Marcus Ernst finished with a new career-high 29 points and made his first 11 shots. His shooting percentage of 85.7% is the highest in a game when making more than 10 field goals since Sehill Mouliom is 2019 versus Carlow.
• Bo Myers was the second-leading scorer for Malone with 21 points and three shots from long range.
• Justin Miller was the game leader in rebounding with nine boards.

 
UP NEXT
Malone is on the road once again on Sunday, January 10 when the Pioneers play the #25 Hillsdale Chargers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.