CANTON, Ohio – The Malone University men's basketball team came up short against Thomas More University in a 68-62 loss on Saturday. The Pioneers fall to 11-6 overall and 4-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Saints now hold a 9-7 record overall and 3-6 inside the conference.
 
Both teams were efficient from three in the early going. Jake Bruns and Joey DeGeorge combined for three in the first eight minutes of play, but Thomas More made two shots from deep themselves to tie the game at 13-13. Logan Forbes added his name to the three-point parade later in the period to get back to even at 20-20 with six minutes remaining in the half. Forbes and Josiah Pierre combined for the final seven Malone points in a 31-29 first period.
 
To start the second, DeGeorge made a layup and jump shot back-to-back to extend the lead to 35-29. Emmanuel Oladeru made his presence known inside with rebounds and putbacks, but Thomas More would not go away quietly. An 11-0 Saints run forced the Pioneers into a timeout down 48-41 with 13:16 remaining.

Malone chipped away at the deficit and with 5:08 on the clock, a huge dunk from Oladeru brought the Pioneers the lead, 58-57. Their lead didn't last long as the Saints answered with a jumper to remain in the lead 59-58 at the final media timeout. The opponents were able to knock down 9-of-10 free throws to end the game with a final score of 68-62.
 
DeGeorge led Malone with 16 points on 7-of-12 from the field. Nic Williams ended with 14 points and six rebounds. Oladeru led the team in rebounds with eight total on the game (five offensive). As a team the Pioneers shot 47.4% (27-for-57) from the field and won in second chance points, 16-10.
 
On Thursday, January 22, Malone travels to Columbus, Ohio for a G-MAC matchup against Ohio Dominican University. Tip-off will be at 7:30 P.M.