SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Malone University men's basketball team bowed out of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship with a first round loss to Missouri S&T in overtime, 85-77. The Miners entered the game ranked #12 in the final National Association for Basketball Coaches (NABC) national poll. The top seed in the Midwest Region moves on to the Second Round with a record of 25-5.
 
Senior leadership was evident from the start as Ryan Bartley, Tahleik Walker and Simon Blair all got on the scoreboard in the opening minutes. Six straight points from Blair put Malone ahead 11-6 at the first media timeout.
 
Three-point plays for Missouri S&T allowed them to take the lead 22-18 with under eight minutes remaining in the first half. Bartley netted nine straight points for the Pioneers and an and-one by Caleb Conard brought the score back to even at 28 all. That basket would spark a 14-5 scoring run for Malone to close the first half with a 39-33 advantage.
 
The Pioneers shot 51.7% (15-of-29) in the first half to put themselves in front. Malone owned the paint battle in the first half 20-14 as Blair was able to get to the rim with ease.
 
The upset-minded Pioneers played well for a majority of the second half and built upon the lead they created in the first period. Tre Baumgardner III knocked down a three early in the half and the team ended up going 5-for-9 from deep in the second half alone. The lead grew to as many as 12 at 68-56 following a made free throw by Conard.
 
The final 4:31 of regulation would see the Miners slowly and methodically work their way back into the game. The top seed in the Midwest Region scored on seven consecutive possessions and with 39 seconds on the clock, tied the game at 70-70 with a driving layup. Each team came up empty on their final possessions to extend the game by an extra five minutes.
 
Missouri S&T carried the momentum of a 14-2 run to end the game into the overtime period. The Miners netted the first eight points for their largest lead of the night at 78-70 with 2:38 on the clock. Bartley canned two attempts from beyond the arc and scored all seven Pioneer points, but it was not enough to overcome a 4-for-4 overtime period from the field for Missouri S&T in the 85-77 loss.
 
Blair had 25 points to pace the team and dished out four of the team's seven assists. Bartley was just behind him at 24 points on 8-of-14 from the field. Conard (ten points, nine rebounds) and Baumgardner III (nine points, eight rebounds) just missed double-doubles in the season finale. Jake Bruns added five key points off the bench and played 24 critical minutes with teammates in foul trouble.
 
Neither side was credited with a fast break point in the game as Malone was successful in keeping the pace to their liking. The Miners won the rebounding battle 41-31 and was 21-of-29 (72.4%) from the free throw line, a statistic that proved costly for the Pioneers at 14-for-26 (53.8%) from the charity stripe.
 
A 16-16 season does not tell the tale of a team that had to overcome adversity at times throughout the year. The squad came together at the perfect moment for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament championship and the program's second ever NCAA Tournament appearance.