CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team continues Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play in the final week of the regular season with a home game versus Lake Erie College on Thursday. Malone currently holds the three seed in the G-MAC standings with the point rating system and are on pace to host a quarterfinal game in the conference tournament with continued success.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
Malone Pioneers (12-6, 11-6 G-MAC) vs Lake Erie Storm (4-11, 4-11 G-MAC)
Osborne Hall – Canton, OH (8 pm)
Live Video/Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/malone/
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/malone-mens-basketball-vs-lake-erie-college-tickets-142242361733
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HARDWOOD SERIES HISTORY:
The first matchup of the 2020-21 season for these teams was won by Malone 81-68. The Pioneers are 19-9 against Lake Erie all-time. The last win for the Storm came one season ago on January 9, 2020, when Lake Erie defeated Malone in Painesville 80-73. The teams split the season series last year, with both teams winning at home.
 
MALONE PIONEERS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
The Pioneers are on a run that has rarely been seen in men's basketball history of late. Malone has won 12 of their last 14 games and five in a row. The last time the team built up this kind of momentum was in the 2007-08 season, when the Pioneers rattled off 14 wins in 16 games.
 
Team history was also achieved in the team's most recent victory over Walsh University. The Pioneers pulled off a thrilling 71-69 win at home over their cross-town rivals to win the first Mayors' Cup since 2007. Bo Myers and Levi Seiler led the team in scoring with 14 apiece.
 
Although Malone has the league's top offense, their defense is what has been most impressive over the last couple of games. The Pioneers held Cedarville to just 73 points and Walsh to 69 points. Reigning G-MAC player of the Week Marcus Ernst has been a force inside and blocked four shots against the Cavaliers.
 
In the game between the Pioneers and the Storm on February 8, redshirt junior Justin Miller recorded career-highs in points (18) and rebounds (13). Miller has been a force off the bench for Malone and makes gritty plays on the offensive and defensive sides of the basketball.
 
Senior guard Jaret Majestic is looking to have a bounce back game after having just six points on two made three-point field goals against Walsh. Before that, Majestic had recorded three consecutive games with 16, 19 and 17 points, respectively.
 
LAKE ERIE STORM TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
Lake Erie is fighting for their playoff lives this week with a road contest against the Pioneers and a home-and-home this weekend versus Walsh. Coming into the game, the Storm are 4-11 overall and sit on the outside looking in in ninth place, according to the point rating system.
 
As a team, Lake Erie scores 67.9 points per game and allow 70.9 on average. The Storm have the second-worst team field goal percentage in the G-MAC at 40.3% and opponents shoot the second-highest percentage at 41.5%. Despite the high overall field goal percentage by opponents, Lake Erie boasts the conference's lowest three-point percentage defense, holding teams to 30.5% from long range.
 
Jacob Plantz is the team's leading scorer at 13.9 points per game. He exploded for a season-high 31 points in a 101-65 thrashing of Ohio Valley. Malone held Plantz to just four points in the matchup in Painesville, a season-low for the sophomore. Harrison Riggs was an x-factor in Lake Erie's win over Ohio Valley as well, scoring 11 points and distributing a team-high seven assists.
 
Leon Hughes was the team's best man offensively in the 81-68 loss to the Pioneers. He came off the bench and connected on 4-of-5 attempts from three.
 
Surrounding Plantz and Riggs as starters recently have been Kevin Peterson, Jonny Manning and Jeramie Burge.