CANTON, Ohio - The Malone University men's basketball team could not get much going offensively in a 68-44 loss to Walsh University, the 23rd-ranked team in NCAA Division II according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Malone was held to a season-low in scoring and field goal percentage (31.5%) in the loss.
 
The Pioneers are now 12-7 on the year and have a record of 5-6 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) action. The Cavaliers are 15-2 overall and hold a conference mark of 9-2.
 
Josiah Pierre netted a layup less than two minutes into the contest, but that would be the only bucket for the home squad until 10:21 remaining in the period. By the time another field goal came around, Malone found themselves trailing 15-2 and two media timeouts had already gone by. Joey DeGeorge was able to break up the eight-minute dry spell with a mid-range jumper.
 
The Pioneers trailed by as many as 17 in the first half with 2:35 on the clock, but chipped away at the deficit before halftime. Emmanuel Oladeru put the team in double figures with a dunk and Pierre made a layup to conclude a 26-13 period in favor of the visitors.
 
Pierre, Oladeru and Nic Williams combined for eight points before the first media timeout of half number two to cut the lead down to single-digits at 30-31. That would unfortunately be as close as Malone would get to their opponents for the remainder of the day. A 9-2 scoring run for Walsh increased the gap to 16.
 
Tate Aljancic found Kellen Leake for back-to-back triples to put a temporary stop to the Cavalier attack, but from there Walsh put their foot on the gas for a 15-1 stretch, most of which from long range. Williams caught fire from deep with three successful three-point tries, but the Cavaliers had enough answers themselves to stay ahead 62-39.
 
Austin Niekamp, Nick Wigton and Crew Cain added their names to the scoring column in the closing minutes of the 68-44 defeat. Williams was the lone man in double-digits with 13 points, all in the second half. Oladeru and Aljancic led the team with four rebounds each and Jacob Ernst was credited with three of the team's seven assists.
 
Walsh pulled away by taking full advantage of Pioneer miscues. They turned 11 turnovers into 18 points on the other end of the floor while Malone had just three points on ten mistakes by the opponents. The Cavaliers won the battle of the boards 38-30 and second chance points 22-8. Walsh was also 9-of-16 (56.3%) from three in the second half alone to further extend their lead.
 
Up next, the Pioneers are on the road against another in-state foe, the Ashland University Eagles, on Thursday, January 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. immediately following the women's game at 5:30 P.M.