CANTON -- This weekend, the Malone University men's basketball team begins the longest road trip by distance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). 

The road trip begins on Thursday night when the Pioneers travel to Kentucky Wesleyan College for their second matchup with the Panthers this season.

GAME INFORMATION
The Matchup: Malone University Pioneers (13-4, 8-2 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers (10-10, 5-7 G-MAC)
Where: Owensboro, Kentucky | The Owensboro Sportscenter
When: Thursday, January 27 | 8:00 p.m. ET 
Live Video Stream: Great Midwest Digital Network
Live Stats: Great Midwest Digital Network

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the thirteenth meeting all-time between these two schools. Prior to Malone's 78-66 home win back in December, Kentucky Wesleyan had won six meetings in a row. 

Overall the Panthers hold a 9-3 advantage in the series.

The last Malone win in Owensboro came in January of 2018. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MALONE UNIVERSITY
Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Pioneers continue to hold their spot atop the G-MAC standings. Walsh University is tied with Malone at 8-2 in the league, but the Pioneers hold the tiebreaker over the Cavaliers by virtue of Malone's 69-53 head-to-head win earlier this season.
• Malone played just one game last week, a 71-66 win over Lake Erie College at home. 22 points from Bryce Butler and 20 from Bo Myers helped lead the Pioneers to victory.  
• Butler continues to lead the Pioneers in scoring this season. He averages 17.8 points per game, but Myers is not far off at 16.9 points per game. In the G-MAC, the two players rank fourth and fifth respectively in scoring.
• Malone's offense, which continues to pace the league in scoring at 82.5 points per game, features three other players averaging double-digits: Justin Miller (14.2 ppg), Jaret Majestic (12.4 ppg), and Marcus Ernst (10.7 ppg).
• No one in the conference has made more three-pointers than Majestic. He leads the way with 50 triples this year.
• Ernst is the second-leading rebounder in the conference. His average of 9.7 rebounds per game puts him just shy of a double-double. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Panthers are coming off of back-to-back seven-point losses at Findlay and Hillsdale last week.
• KWC is 5-7 overall in the G-MAC. They currently sit just outside of the top-six teams in the league standings.
• The Panthers' offense is led by junior Jordan Roland. His 14.2 points per game slots in at eleventh overall in the conference. 
• As a team, Kentucky Wesleyan sits right in the middle of the league offensively at 74.6 points per game. Wyatt Battaile (12.8), Ben Sisson (11.1), and JoMel Boyd (11.0) all also average double-digit point totals.
• Fifth-year guard Jamil Wilson has the second-best assist/turnover ratio in the G-MAC at 3.4.
• Kentucky Wesleyan, who was picked to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason coaches poll, is under the direction of fourth-year head coach Drew Cooper. Last year the Panthers finished 10-6 overall. 

UP NEXT
The Pioneers wrap up the trip south on Saturday with a game in Nashville, Tennessee at Trevecca Nazarene University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET.