CANTON, Ohio – The Malone men's basketball team secured a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) victory over the visiting Thomas More University Saints on Saturday afternoon, 73-62 in a game where the lead changed hands 17 times. The Pioneers had lost two in a row, but are now back in the win column at 7-10 for the season and 3-6 in conference play. Thomas More stumbles to 10-7 and 6-3.
 
After the teams entered the locker room tied, Malone won the second half 40-29 to close out the victory. The Pioneers had a pair of student-athletes that reached the 20-point plateau in Simon Blair and Ryan Bartley. Blair tallied a season-high 26 points and Bartley 20 on the nose. Caleb Conard was near a double-double with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 
As a team, Malone had just four turnovers compared to 12 for Thomas More. That led to an 11-0 difference in scoring off the opposing miscues in favor of the home squad. The Pioneers won the rebounding battle 33-29, but 11 on the offensive end, including five from Conard were especially key.
 
The teams traded points in the opening minutes and a basket by Tahleik Walker made it 8-7 at the first media timeout. Back-to-back scores by Blair opened up a six-point cushion, the largest lead for either side in the first half at 13-7. Thomas More responded with a 7-0 run to erase the deficit.
 
In the middle stages of the period, the Pioneers crashed the glass hard with Tre Baumgardner III and Walker each scoring on tip-in layups inside. The final two offensive possessions for Malone were the same result, a score by Blair to draw even at 33 at halftime.
 
The Pioneers looked inside to Conard to put the opposing forwards in foul trouble to start the second half. That opened up driving lanes for Blair and Bartley with the defense focused on the big man inside. A jumper by Bartley with 15 minutes to play gave Malone a 43-41 lead and they would build upon that lead from there.
 
An 11-2 run ballooned the lead to 52-43 at the halfway point in the period, but the Saints battled back and took the lead with less than five minutes on the clock, 55-54. Head Coach Charlie Wallrapp used a timeout to regroup, and on the first possession out of the break, Blair found Bartley for three to reclaim the lead.
 
Baumgardner III would follow with one of his own and Blair capped a scoring run with a three of his own. A 9-for-10 effort at the charity stripe led to the 73-62 result.
 
It is a rivalry game up next for the Pioneers as they go to North Canton, Ohio to take on Walsh University on Thursday, January 23. That game tips-off at 7:30 P.M. following the women's contest.