CANTON -- With the calendar now turned over to 2023, the Malone University men's basketball team shifted their focus back to the remaining Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) portion of their schedule. 

Thursday night, the Pioneers welcomed Ohio Dominican University to Osborne Hall.

Led by a career-high 33 points from Justin Miller, Malone was able to take down the Panthers by a final score of 85-76. 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Final Score: Malone University Pioneers 85 - Ohio Dominican University Panthers 76
• Records: Malone (10-2, 5-1 G-MAC) | Ohio Dominican (5-9, 2-6 G-MAC)
• Location: Canton, Ohio | Osborne Hall

THE GAME
The Pioneers opened up the game on a 5-0 run. Malone made their first two field goal attempts of the game, and defensively held the Panther offense scoreless for nearly the first two minutes. 

It took just over five minutes for the Pioneers to build up their first double-digit lead of the night. Levi Seiler capped off another quick MU run to put Malone ahead 19-8 with 14:51 still to play in the first half. 

However, thanks in part to some hot shooting from three-point range, Ohio Dominican was able to get themselves back into the game. 

When Zach Szul connected from long range at the 9:10 mark of the first half, it trimmed the Pioneers lead down to 25-22. 

The two sides went on to trade scores for several possessions, but it was a late push by Malone that helped create a little more distance before the halftime break. 

Brady Moore, who played in a season-high 28 minutes, provided a huge spark off the bench for the Pioneers. He scored four straight points late in the half to put MU on top 43-33. 

Ultimately though, ODU used their eighth three-pointer of the opening half to cut Malone's lead down to 45-38 at the break. 

The Panthers continued to fight the Pioneers hard in the second-half, and actually got to within just two points on two different occasions. 

Down the stretch though, Malone's defense dug in which led to some easy baskets on the offensive end to close out the game. 

A fastbreak layup from Seiler gave MU their largest lead of the night at 82-66 with less than three minutes to play. 

The Panthers made one final run, connecting on two more three-pointers inside the final two minutes, but the Pioneers were ultimately able to hang on for the 85-76 win.

DETAILS

• Justin Miller, who entered play as the G-MAC's leading scorer, posted a career-high 33 points on 13-19 shooting from the field. He also finished with a team-high 11 rebounds to complete his first double-double of the season.
• Levi Seiler added a season-high 13 points. 
• The Pioneers dominated Ohio Dominican underneath the basket which led to a 48-18 advantage on points in the paint. 

WHAT'S NEXT
This weekend, for the first time since December 10, Malone will head out on the road.

The Pioneers travel to No. 11 Hillsdale College for a matchup with the Chargers. Saturday's tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Malone University athletic programs this year follow the Pioneers on Twitter and Instagram, like Malone University Athletics on Facebook or visit www.malonepioneers.com.