CANTON, Ohio - In a game where the largest lead on either side was eight, the Malone University men's basketball team came up short 77-71 against the visiting University of Findlay Oilers on Saturday. The Pioneers are 10-5 and 3-4 after losing three in a row in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) this calendar year. The Oilers now sit at 11-5 and 5-3.
 
Malone dominated the rebounding battle, 47-28, but it was not enough to overcome a 15-7 difference in turnovers. The Pioneers looked inside to their big men early and often and won points in the paint 48-36. Emmanuel Oladeru had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Nic Williams was a double-digit scorer as well with 12 points and a team-high six assists.
 
Eight straight points, with six by Williams, gave Malone an early lead at 8-4 just after the first media timeout. Layups by Crew Cain and Jake Bruns further extended the advantage for the team at the under-12 media.
 
The largest lead of the game came with 1:16 to play in the first half when an 8-0 scoring run took the score from 22 all to 30-22 in less than two minutes. Just as quickly as the Pioneers gained an advantage, the Oilers seized momentum right back with six in a row to end the period, with a three-point try and an and-one.
 
The defense did its job in the first half after Findlay was held to just 29.7% (11-of-37) from the field. The second half would be the opposite with both teams over 50%, including Findlay's 17-of-26 (65.4%) total in the final 20 minutes.
 
Josiah Pierre began a diverse scoring attack in the second half, but for the most part the Oilers were able to keep pace. A three by Bruns and dunk from Oladeru fueled momentum for Malone, but at the final media timeout of the game, the score was tied at 68-68.
 
Findlay scored twice and got the stop they needed to pull ahead by two possessions with 1:18 on the clock. Pierre answered with a 1-for-2 trip to the charity stripe and a three on the following offensive touch propelled the visitors to a six-point lead, 75-69, with 24 seconds left. Williams dished an assist to Logan Forbes down the stretch, but it was not enough to reclaim the lead in the 77-71 loss.
 
The next opponent will be Kentucky Wesleyan College on Thursday, January 15. Tip-off inside Osborne Hall is scheduled for 7:30 P.M.