Owensboro, KY-- On Thursday evening, Kentucky Wesleyan (9-3,4-1 G-MAC) played host to Malone (8-5,1-4 G-MAC) in a G-MAC contest. The Pioneers were looking to come in and pull of the upset, but were shot down and lost by a final score of 73-59.

Kentucky Wesleyan set the tone from the jump as the raced off to an early 8-0 lead. With just over 3 minutes that had gone by, Malone finally got on the board courtesy of a Simon Blair three pointer. The Panthers continued that hot start keeping Malone's defense on its heels extending the lead at 14-5. Caleb Conard tried to help the cause answering with a layup, but that Wildcat offense was potent. However, a late rally on a three from Carter Piatt and two free throws from Simon Blair cut the lead to just 6 points heading into halftime at 32-26.

In the Second half, Malone was looking to carry over that late momentum they gained at the end of the first half. Kentucky Wesleyan had shut all the momentum down early and before you knew it they were up by 16 points. Once again, the Pioneers had another fight in them this time sparked by Aaron Badibo. He helped his team to go ana 9-0 run to cut the lead back within 6 with 13:04 remaining. 

The Panther offense seemed to answer every challenge Malone threw at them. They didn't let the Pioneers get any closer than 6 points all night. It was another run which put Kentucky Wesleyan back up by double digits and the lead was just too much to overcome for Malone. Malone Men's Basketball ultimately fell short in a challenging matchup against Kentucky Wesleyan, with a final score of 73-59.

Inside the Box Score

Simon Blair had a solid night for Malone with 19 points, 6 assists, and was 5-6 from the foul line

Aaron Badibo was also great scoring 16 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and knocking down 4 three pointers

Frazier LaRocque finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds.

What's Next
Malone will look to bounce back this Saturday at Trevecca Nazarene University. The game is slated to tip-off at 3:00 PM.

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