CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team shot their way to a critical 96-73 victory on the road against Cedarville University on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers were 40-for-68 (58.8%) from the field in the game, breaking the season-high that they just set in Tuesday's win over Ohio Valley.
 
Levi Seiler notched a career-high 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from deep.
 
Malone wins their 11th game in 13 tries and is 11-6 on the season, 10-6 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Cedarville falls to 10-6 overall and in league play.
 
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED:
The Pioneers scored on their first three possessions, by a pair of three-point field goals from Bo Myers and a lay-up from Marcus Ernst and had a 12-7 lead at the first media timeout.
 
Ernst and Myers continued to dominate early in the first, as Ernst connected on three shots in the paint and Myers knocked down his third three of the game to take a 21-10 lead at the 12:39 mark in the first.
 
Three-point plays from Cedarville allowed them to get back into the game and even took the lead for a moment at 29-28, but Marcus Ernst had an and-one to reclaim the lead before a timeout.
 
Baskets by Levi Seiler, Jaret Majestic and Bryce Butler late in the half sparked a 16-2 scoring run and extended the lead all the way to 15 at one point.
 
Malone led 51-39 at the break. The Pioneers shot 60% in the first half and hit 6-of-11 tries from long range.
 
Levi Seiler scored the first eight Pioneer points in the second half on his way to a new career-high in scoring. Seiler sank two shots from beyond the arc to take a 59-46 lead. He and Jaret Majestic fought off a comeback attempt by the Yellow Jackets with makes from three-point land.
 
Bryce Butler got into the paint effectively in the second half and scored or assisted on the next three baskets. The Pioneers went on a 7-0 spurt that was punctuated by a Bo Myers dunk.
 
A 14-3 run over the final five minutes allowed Malone to cruise to a 23-point win, 96-73. Seiler scored 22 points to lead the Pioneers in the scoring column and Brandon Maughmer led Cedarville in scoring (18), rebounding (5) and assists (4).
 
PIONEER POINTS:

• Malone shot well from the field (58.8%) and especially from three – the Pioneers were 12-for-20 (60.0%) overall from behind the three-point line and 6-for-9 in the second half.
• The win can be attributed to a massive rebounding advantage, 42-28. Marcus Ernst was the leading rebounder with 11 and recorded his fifth double-double in six games. Myers (9), Butler (9) and Miller (8) also had a big afternoon on the boards. Malone held a 15-6 edge in second chance points.
• The Pioneers scored 54 points in the paint, compared to 30 for the Yellow Jackets.
• Levi Seiler was 9-for-11 from the field, the most makes and attempts of his Pioneer career. He was also a perfect 4-for-4 from three – the best shooting performance of his career.
• Bryce Butler and Justin Miller had a huge impact on the game in a variety of ways. Butler had 16 points, a career-best nine rebounds and dished out six assists. Miller netted nine points, pulled down eight rebounds and distributed six assists.

 
UP NEXT:
Malone finishes the regular season with three straight games in Osborne Hall. The first of which is on Tuesday, February 23 at 8 pm against Walsh University. It is the 57th Annual Mayors' Cup Game.