CANTON, Ohio – The 61st Annual Mayors' Cup Game was played on Tuesday in Osborne Hall between the Malone University men's basketball team and Walsh University. The Pioneers won by a score of 69-55 to make them 10-13 overall and 6-9 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Cavaliers are now 7-14 overall and 3-12 in the conference.

The win for Malone is the first time the Pioneers have swept their northern rivals since the 2020-21 season, the same year that the team defeated Walsh in the G-MAC Quarterfinals and went on to win the G-MAC Tournament.

The two teams started the first half by trading leads with back and forth buckets. Tre Baumgardner III knocked down a pair of shots from deep in the opening minutes and Jake Bruns added in a three of his own.  

An offensive rebound resulted in a tip-in dunk from Fraser LaRocque with 12:18 to go. LaRocque got a steal on the next possession and he found Simon Blair for three to take the lead 20-18. Tahleik Walker joined the dunk parade a few minutes later. Despite the high-flying highlights, the Cavaliers entered the locker room with a 39-30 first half advantage.

A three from Baumgardner III to start the second half started a 17-4 run for the home team. That gave Malone a 47-43 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining. Caleb Conard worked inside to bolster the Pioneer advantage. Ryan Bartley got involved late to keep the distance between the teams and helped secure the 69-55 victory.

The Malone defense was elite in the second half to hold Walsh to 4-of-24 (16.7%) and just 16 points overall. The Cavaliers were 0-for-9 from deep in the final 20 minutes and was 4-for-18 (22.2%) in the game.
Conard was able to get a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Baumgardner III was the leading scorer for Malone with 21 points and a team-high six three-point field goals. Bartley ended the game with 12 points and Blair with 11.

Malone's next game is Thursday, February 13 at Ashland University for a G-MAC matchup with a tip-off time at 7:30 P.M.