OWENSBORO, Ky. -- On Thursday night, the Malone University men's basketball team kicked off the longest road trip by distance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).

The Pioneers were in Owensboro, Kentucky for a rematch with the Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers. 

Malone (14-4, 9-2 G-MAC) fell behind by double-digits early on in the first half, but bounced back to handle the upset minded Panthers (10-11, 5-8 G-MAC) by a final score of 73-67. 

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Kentucky Wesleyan opened up the scoring with two points on the game's first possession. It was over five minutes before the Pioneers found their way onto the scoreboard. 

At the 14:37 mark of the first half Marcus Ernst ended the drought with Malone's first bucket to make it 10-2. 

The Panthers kept up the pressure however, and led by as many as thirteen points with just over ten minutes to play in the half. 

A couple of minutes later, Justin Miller's layup finally cut the Pioneers' deficit down to single digits. That basket was actually part of a 13-2 MU run that brought the Pioneers to within one point. 

That run featured three different Malone three-point baskets, including back-to-back triples from Bo Myers and Miller to trim KWC's lead down to 23-22 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. 

The two sides traded baskets for several possessions, but MU started to take control of the game inside the final two minutes of the half. 

Four consecutive points from Bryce Butler put Malone up 28-27. Malone continued to convert on the offensive end, and ultimately took a 35-31 lead at halftime. 

Jaret Majestic connected on a three-pointer to open the second half. Another Majestic triple later in the half gave MU their first double-digit lead of the game at 45-35 with 15:55 still to play in the ballgame. 

Although the Pioneers' advantage did grow to as many as sixteen points late in the half, it hovered around ten for much of the rest of the contest. 

The Panthers made one late attempt at a comeback, but Malone finished the half 5-7 from the charity stripe in the final minute to hang on for the 73-67 win. 


PIONEER POINTS

• Bo Myers led all scorers with 20 points. Five of his six field goals came from beyond the three-point line.
• Bryce Butler added 18 points on 7-13 shooting from the field. He also dished out six assists. 
• Marcus Ernst finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He has now recorded a double-double in three straight games.
• Tonight's win gives Malone a sweep of the season series with Kentucky Wesleyan. It was the first win for the Pioneers in Owensboro since January of 2018.

WHAT'S 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.