The Malone College men’s basketball team picked up a pair of conference wins last week, outlasting Mt. Vernon Nazarene University at home last Tuesday 86-81 and then defeating Urbana University 94-91 on the road last Saturday.  With the 2-0 week, the Pioneers extended their current winning streak to four games and improved their record to 10-12 overall and to 5-5 in the AMC South Division.
     Against Mt. Vernon Nazarene, the halftime score was tied 41-41 as the game remained close throughout the second period before Malone was able to secure the 86-81 victory.  Tyler Renner (So., Garaway H.S.) led four Pioneers in double figures posting a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Jesse Schlabach (Jr., Lake H.S.) followed with 19 points, Shane Humphrey (So., Loudonville H.S.) added 16 points and Ben Carver (So., Shelby H.S.) had 13 points.  The Pioneers were edged by the Cougars in total rebounds, though, 40-36.  In addition, Humphrey dished out six assists and Schlabach tallied five assists.
     At Urbana, the Pioneers trailed the Blue Knights by a slim 54-53 margin at halftime and shot 66.7% (6-9) from behind the three point line in the second half to pull out the tough road win by a score of 94-91.  Schlabach led a balanced Pioneer offensive attack with 23 points (8-12 FG, 5-9 3PT FG, 2-2 FT) followed by Renner with 22 points (8-13 FG, 0-1 3PT FG, 6-7 FT), and Chris Miller (Jr., Hiland H.S.) with 19 points.  Craig Giesy (Jr., Bristol H.S.) and Humphrey also tallied 13 points each.  Renner grabbed seven rebounds as Malone lost the battle of the boards 33-29.  In addition, Miller dished out three assists and grabbed three steals and Renner contributed four assists and one block.
     This week, Malone (10-12, 5-5 AMC S) will host Ohio Dominican University (9-10, 4-6 AMC S) at home on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. and will then travel to the University of Rio Grande (9-13, 3-7 AMC S) on Saturday for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off.
     This week’s opponents:  Ohio Dominican - Malone leads the all-time series over ODU 55-17 but the Panthers defeated Malone 66-44 (at ODU) earlier this season.  Rio Grande - Rio leads the all-time series with Malone 38-34 and defeated the Pioneers earlier this season 80-77.
     Malone notes: Jesse Schlabach leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game followed by Tyler Renner and Chris Miller with at 14.8 each… Renner paces the squad in rebounds at 7.6 per game followed by Shane Humphrey with 6.1…Renner and Humphrey pace the team in field goal percentage at 54.4% each…Schlabach leads the team in assists at 2.2 per game.

Women’s Basketball Extends Winning Streak With Two AMC South Victories On The Week

     The Malone College women’s basketball team rolled to a 67-54 victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene University at home last Tuesday and then defeated Urbana University on the road Saturday 67-57, extending their current winning streak to four games.  With the 2-0 week, the Pioneers are currently 8-11 overall and 5-5 in the AMC South Division.
     Against Mt. Vernon Nazarene, Malone held a slim 35-33 lead at halftime and outscored the Cougars 32-21 in the second half en route to the 67-54 victory.  The Pioneers overcame 25 total turnovers and controlled the paint as Cara Shiplett (So., Northwest H.S.) and Nikki Parson (Jr., Garaway H.S.) both recorded double-doubles.  Shiplett posted 23 points (10-14 FG, 0-0 3PT FG, 3-4 FT) and 12 rebounds while Parson tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds.  Kellyn Murphy (So., St. Vincent/St. Mary H.S.) added 11 points and eight rebounds.  Malone dominated the boards 53-23 and blocked nine shots on the evening.  In addition, Erica Mishler (Jr., Hiland H.S.) grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists while Murphy collected three assists and three blocks.
     At Urbana, the Pioneers trailed 30-29 at the half but outscored the Blue Knights 38-27 in the second period, forcing 27 total turnovers in the game, to come away with the 67-57 win.  Shiplett paced the squad with 17 points followed by Mishler with 14 points and Heather Fenner (So., Shelby H.S.) with 10 points.  Murphy grabbed six rebounds as Malone won the battle of the boards 37-33.  In addition, Mishler grabbed four steals and Murphy dished out four assists.
     This week, Malone (8-11, 5-5 AMC S) will host Ohio Dominican University (13-8, 5-5 AMC S) at home on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.  The team will then travel to the University of Rio Grande (8-12, 3-7 AMC S) on Saturday for a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.
     This week’s opponents:  Ohio Dominican - Malone leads the all-time series with ODU 25-22 but lost to the Panthers (away) earlier this season 83-70.  Rio Grande - Rio leads the all-time series with Malone 34-18 but the Pioneers defeated the Redwomen 69-60 (at home) earlier this season.
     Malone notes: Nikki Parson leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game followed by Cara Shiplett at 14.4 points…Parson paces the squad in rebounding at 8.8 per game followed by Shiplett at 7.3…Parson also leads the team in field goal percentage, shooting 52.5% from the field…Kellyn Murphy leads the team in assists at 3.3 per game.