ASHLAND, Ohio - The Malone University men's basketball team showed no quit despite a deficit as large as 18 with less than eight minutes left the game, but lost 75-62 to the Ashland University Eagles on Thursday.
 
The Pioneers fall to 12-8 overall and 5-7 inside the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Ashland remains among the top contenders in the league with a 14-6 record and 8-4 mark in league play.
 
Malone faced an early 9-4 deficit at the first media timeout after a 4-for-6 start from the field for the host Eagles. A pair of baskets by Crew Cain helped to trim the gap, but a three-point barrage by the home squad forced the Pioneers into a timeout down 16-8.
 
An 11-1 run going into the under-12 media timeout helped to increase Ashland's lead to double-digits at 20-8. Jake Bruns knocked down a three-point try off the feed from Tate Aljancic, but Malone could not seize momentum. The Eagles had the Pioneers doubled at 26-13 with 7:53 to play in the first half.
 
Joey DeGeorge crashed the glass hard in the period and that resulted in a putback, however an efficient shooting performance from Ashland kept them in front 33-19 with 3:30 to play. The team looked to attack the rim in the closing minutes of the half but were behind 38-25 at the break. Malone was held to 11-for-30 (36.7%) from the field while the Eagles were 11-for-23 (47.8%) in total, 6-of-12 (50.0%) from three and 10-for-16 (62.5%) at the free throw line.
 
Threes by Bruns and DeGeorge helped the Pioneers keep pace, but it was 48-33 six minutes in. Nick Wigton would do the same from distance, but the gap remained the same as the teams approached the halfway point in the second half. Malone looked inside to their post player Emmanuel Oladeru and he was the first one to double figures for the offense, but then the team caught fire from three-point land.
 
DeGeorge buried a pair and then it was Nic Williams true from downtown on a stepback to get back to single-digits at 66-58 with less than three minutes left. The lead shrunk to as few as six, but the Pioneers were unable to complete the come-from-behind effort in a 75-62 loss.
 
The team leader in points (17) and rebounds (8) was DeGeorge. Williams tallied 15 points and Oladeru was in double figures with 11. The biggest difference in scoring between the teams was at the free throw line. Ashland was 26-of-42 (66.7%) from the charity stripe and Malone just 6-of-12 (50.0%).
 
The Pioneers are back in action at Tiffin University on Saturday, January 31 beginning at 3:00 P.M.