CANTON -- The Malone University men's basketball team renewed their crosstown rivalry with Walsh University inside of Osborne Hall on Tuesday night. 

Malone (8-2, 4-0 G-MAC) easily controlled the first-half, and held a sixteen-point lead at the break. The Pioneers then matched the output of Walsh (5-3, 3-1 G-MAC) in the second-half to secure the 69-53 win. 

Malone has now won four consecutive matchups against their rival. They have also won eight straight games this season, and thirteen straight overall inside the friendly confines of Osborne Hall. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Both teams struggled mightily on offense in the early going. It took over a minute for Malone to open up the scoring with a layup by Levi Seiler. 

Almost a full minute later Walsh answered with a basket of their own.

It then took nearly a full two minutes of play for Bryce Butler to break the the 2-2 tie with his fastbreak bucket inside the lane.

Malone's defense got a stop on the ensuing possession by Walsh. Jaret Majestic collected the rebound, and then pulled up for three-points in transition. His shot found the bottom of the net to put the Pioneers ahead 7-2. 

Unfortunately, his shot also incited a powder toss by the Malone student section. The powder settled onto the court and made the surface unplayable. Both teams were sent back to their respective locker rooms while the floor was cleaned. 

After a stoppage that lasted over 30 minutes, the officials deemed the court safe for the contest to continue. 

The delay hurt the early momentum for the Pioneers, and Walsh scored the next eight points of the game unanswered to take a 10-7 lead.

Justin Miller ended Malone's scoring drought with a three-pointer, but the Cavaliers answered right back with two points of their own on the other end. 

A couple of possessions later Bo Myers completed an old-fashioned three-point play that put Malone ahead 13-12. The Pioneers never trailed again.

Malone's defense really locked in down the stretch in the opening half, and limited Walsh to just eight total points over the final thirteen minutes of the half. 

Meanwhile, the Pioneers' offense got things rolling late. 

The three-point play from Myers ignited a 7-0 for Malone that was capped off by two more points from Miller. 

Late in the half Seiler came through with another layup, and then Myers followed that up with a triple from downtown to give the Pioneers their first double-digit lead of the night at 28-16.

Malone continued to build on that advantage, and carried 36-20 lead back to the halftime locker room.

Not long into the second-half the Pioneers stretched the lead out to twenty points on steal and score from Majestic. That play put Malone up 44-24 at the 17:02 mark. 

Walsh refused to fold however. 

With Malone leading 46-26, the Cavaliers caught fire from beyond the three-point line and went on a quick 9-0 run to get back into the game. 

The Pioneers regrouped, and once again it was Miller who stopped the scoring drought with a jumper to get the lead back out to 48-35. 

Just a handful of possessions later the advantage stood at 55-38 with just 8:32 left to play in the game. 

Once again though, the Cavaliers made a run. 

Ten straight points from Walsh cut Malone's lead down to 55-48 with 6:12 to play. 

However, the Cavaliers' offense only scored five more points the rest of the game. 

The Pioneers had the lead back out to double-digits by the 3:20 mark of the half, and then Marcus Ernst put the finishing touches on the 69-53 win with his emphatic putback dunk inside of the final thirty seconds. 


PIONEER POINTS

• Malone turned in their best defensive effort of the season. Only one Walsh player scored in double digits. The Cavaliers finished 21-73 from the field for a 28.8% shooting percentage. 
• Bryce Butler led the Pioneers with a game-high 15 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds, and dished out a team-high five assists.
• Bo Myers and Levi Seiler each added 12 points for Malone. Myers came up just one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with a team-high nine. 
• Justin Miller (11) and Jaret Majestic (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers for Malone 
• The Pioneers had a distinct advantage underneath the basket, especially in the second-half. Malone outscored Walsh 46-28 inside the paint.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers have one more game at home before the Christmas holiday break. Malone will host Emory & Henry College in a non-conference game on Monday, December 20. Tip-off from Osborne Hall is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.