Saginaw, MI--The Malone University men's basketball team tipped off the 2023-24 season on the road Friday night with a non-conference matchup against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.
After a slow start to the first half, The Pioneers turned things around quickly outscoring the Cardinals 40-32 to grab the narrow 75-71 victory.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Final Score: Malone University Pioneers 75Â - Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 71
- Records: Malone (1-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | Saginaw Valley State (0-1, 0-0 GLIAC)
- Location: Saginaw, Michigan | James E. O'neal Jr Arena.
The Game
Saginaw came firing out of the gates. They took an early 30-18 lead over Malone and the Pioneers were in a hole early.
Malone weathered the storm and after two free throws by
Simon Blair, The first half saw Saginaw Valley taking a slight lead at 39-35. The Cardinals shot a solid shooting 53% from the field.
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Coach Wallrapp made some second half adjustments and it showed. Malone roared back in the second half, displaying a remarkable turnaround in shooting accuracy. Their field goal percentage soared to 54%, a substantial improvement from the first half. The team's collective effort allowed them to outscore Saginaw Valley 40-32.Â
The defense also played a big part in the Pioneers success. They held Saginaw to just 16 points in the paint which was a major improvement from the 30 they gave up in the first half.
With the game still well within reach for the Cardinals, Tre Baumgardner nailed two clutch free throws to finish the game.This game marked a new ear for Pioneer hoops as Coach Wallrapp secured his first career victory at Malone.
DETAILS
- Simon Blair led all scorers with an impressive 27 points off of an efficient 11-18 from the field.
- Aaron Badibo contributed a double double with 18 points and 13 rebounds
- Tre Baumgardner III was also in double figures with 14
- Malone held SVSU to just 16 second half points in the paint
What's Next
Malone will be back in action at home this Sunday vs Wanye State University. The game will tip off at 1:00 PM
