ASHLAND, Ohio -- The Malone University men's basketball team was back in action on Wednesday night after several days off to celebrate the Christmas holiday. 

The Pioneers (9-3, 4-1 G-MAC) hit the road for a matchup with the newest member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, the Ashland University Eagles. 

The Eagles' (6-4, 3-1 G-MAC) defensive effort limited Malone to their lowest scoring output of the season, and Ashland was able to score the 61-58 upset win. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Points were at a premium for the Pioneers all night long as Ashland limited Malone to a season-low 32.3% shooting percentage from the field.

The Pioneers scored the opening five points of the game on a layup by Bo Myers and a three-pointer by Levi Seiler, but that proved to be the largest lead for either team in the first half. 

Once Ashland cut Malone's 10-5 lead down to 10-7, the advantage was never more than one possession one way or another. 

The teams traded baskets back-and-forth until the Eagles grabbed their first lead of the night at 15-14 with 10:21 left to play in the half. 

Later on Malone broke a 19-19 tie with four unanswered points, but it did not take Ashland long to even things back up at 25-25. 

The Eagles connected on a three-pointer to take a 28-25 advantage with 3:29 left to play in the half, but Jaret Majestic answered right back with a triple on the other end. 

Unfortunately Ashland scored the final three points of the half to take a 31-28 lead into halftime. 

The early portions of the second-half were much like the first. The Eagles and Pioneers continued to trade baskets, with Ashland able to do just enough to hold on to a small lead. 

They actually led by as many as seven points early on in the half, but Malone quickly ended that run with a three-pointer from Majestic. 

Eventually the Pioneers fought back to tie the game up at 54-54 on a triple from Justin Miller inside of the final three minutes. 

Ashland made it 56-54 on a pair of free throws, but Bryce Butler quickly answered back with a layup off of a dribble drive on the other end to tie it back up at 56-56.

Malone's defense put together an outstanding effort on the ensuing possession, forcing the Eagles to shoot a desperation three-pointer as the shot clock buzzer sounded. Unfortunately the shot found the bottom of the net. 

That triple put Ashland up 59-56 with just thirty seconds remaining, and the Eagles were able to close out the 61-58 win down the stretch with a pair of free throws. 

PIONEER POINTS

• Once again it was Bryce Butler who finished as the leading scorer for the Pioneers, this time with a game-high 15 points.
• Jaret Majestic and Bo Myers each added 11 points. Nine of Majestic's came from behind the three-point line.
• Justin Miller rounded out the double-digit scorers for Malone with 10 points. 
• Marcus Ernst pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds to lead the Pioneers who outrebounded Ashland 39-34. 15 of Malone's board were on the offensive end of the floor which lead to a 15-5 advantage in second-chance points.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Pioneers return home next week for a G-MAC game against Tiffin University. Tip-off from Osborne Hall on Monday, January 3 is set for 7:30 p.m.