CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team will go up to the state of Michigan on Friday to take on the top-seeded Hillsdale Chargers in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals.
 
GAME INFORMATION:
#4 Malone Pioneers (15-6) @ #1 Hillsdale Chargers (20-1)
G-MAC Semifinals
Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena – Hillsdale, MI (5 pm)
Live Video/Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hillsdale/portal.htm?eventId=629951&streamType=video
Tickets: https://hillsdale.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1551
*limited supply available
 
HARDWOOD SERIES HISTORY:
Malone is 4-11 all-time versus the Hillsdale, with both regular season games in 2020-21 going the way of the Chargers.
 
G-MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET:

 
 
#4 MALONE PIONEERS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
The 15-6 Malone Pioneers put their eight game winning streak on the line in postseason play against the top team in the conference rankings. The last loss for Malone came at the hands of Hillsdale inside Osborne Hall 75-69. Bo Myers scored a team-high 18 points in the home loss and Marcus Ernst ripped down 15 total rebounds.
 
Malone led the G-MAC with three First Team All-Conference selections. No other team had more than two men's basketball players named to the First Team. Marcus Ernst, Bryce Butler and Bo Myers all were named three of the top 10 players in the league on Thursday afternoon. Ernst was also honored on the G-MAC All-Defensive Team.
 
In their most recent game, the Pioneers defeated #5 Walsh at home 75-64. Malone suffocated the Cavaliers defensively, holding them to 22 first half points and a goose egg in three-point shots made in the half. Walsh had the second-lowest field goal percentage of any opponent Malone has faced this season at 35.3%. Bryce Butler netted 23 points in the game, 19 of which came in the second half. In the first matchup between Hillsdale and Malone, Butler had 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the 80-70 loss.
 
One thing that made both games competitive between the teams was Malone's perimeter defense. The Pioneers held Hillsdale to 3-of-17 on shots from beyond the arc in their February 11 meeting. They will need another outstanding defensive performance against the team that has two of the top five highest shooting performances against the Pioneers in 2020-21.
 
Jaret Majestic knocked down three three-point field goals in the quarterfinal game. In five of the last seven games, he has hit at least three field goals from deep.
 
#1 HILLSDALE CHARGERS TEAM NOTES:
Schedule | Roster | Statistics
 
At 20-1, and their only loss coming via a half-court miracle at the buzzer against Findlay, the Hillsdale Chargers are a complete team that has the largest scoring margin in the G-MAC at 14.8. The Chargers average 77.3 points per game, the third-best mark in the league, and hold the conference's best defense at 62.8 points per game. Hillsdale has the longest winning streak in the region at 17 straight and are a perfect 11-0 on their home floor.
 
As a team, Hillsdale shoots 51.2% from the field and are led by G-MAC Player of the Year Patrick Cartier. Cartier is the conference's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game and led the league by a wide margin by shooting 64.7% from the field in 21 games.
 
In the Quarterfinal game against #8 Trevecca Nazarene, Hillsdale poured it on with an 89-58 win and an electric 60-point second half. Cartier led the team in scoring with 22 points and Austen Yarian and Connor Hill each contributed 14 apiece.
 
Cartier makes his presence known inside, but Tavon Brown (7.3 RPG) and Austen Yarian (6.4 RPG) each find themselves in the top 10 in conference rebounding at the forward position.
 
Connor Hill has owned the Pioneers in 2020-21. The starting point guard led the team in scoring in both games with 18 and 21 and combined to go 16-for-25 from the field. Hill records 1.6 steals per game, good for third in the G-MAC.