CURRENT RECORD:  13-9  (5-5 AMC South)

Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field - Malone competed at the Marietta College Open last Saturday and two athletes qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships in the process

Men’s Basketball Posts 0-2 Record In Conference Play For The Week
 
     The Malone College men’s basketball team dropped a pair of American Mideast Conference South Division match-ups last week, starting with an 86-79 loss to then NAIA Division II #20 Cedarville University at home on Tuesday night.  The Pioneers then traveled to Tiffin University on Saturday where they fell to the Dragons by the final score of 72-63.  Following the 0-2 week, Malone’s overall record now stands at 12-9 with a 2-7 mark in the AMC South.
     In Tuesday’s contest with Cedarville, the Pioneers held a 38-37 lead late in the first half before the Yellow Jackets closed out the period on an 8-1 run to take a 45-39 halftime advantage.  Malone got right back in the game with a 9-0 run early in the second half and then was able to keep the game close until the final minutes.  The Pioneers broke a 77-77 tie on a basket by senior guard Chris Miller (Hiland H.S.) with 2:45 remaining in the game, but then were shut out over the remainder of the contest as Cedarville tallied the final nine points to secure the 86-79 victory.  Although Malone made over 44% (30-68) of its field goal attempts during the game, the Yellow Jackets were able to pull down 53 total rebounds (20 offensive) and then convert on multiple second-chance opportunities.  Senior guard Jesse Schlabach (Lake H.S.) hit a season-high five three-pointers to lead Malone with 19 points.  Junior post player Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.) and freshman guard Linc Rottman (Triway H.S.) each followed with 17 points while Miller and junior guard Ben Carver (Shelby H.S.) tallied nine points apiece.  Senior forward James Hannum (Massillon Washington H.S.) grabbed eight boards and junior post player Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) contributed six points and four assists.
     In Saturday’s game at Tiffin, Malone jumped out to an early 15-8 lead before the Dragons fought back to trim the Pioneers’ advantage to 33-31 at halftime.  The score remained close until late in the second stanza as Tiffin used a 9-0 run to take a commanding 69-58 lead with just 1:30 remaining in the game.  Malone ended its scoring drought with a quick three-pointer but could not overcome the large deficit in the final moments, falling by the final score of 72-63.  The Dragons shot 50% (28-56) from the field in Saturday’s contest and enjoyed a sizable 38-25 advantage in total rebounds.  Carver led the way for Malone with 22 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 3PT FG, 8-8 FT).  Renner followed with 14 points and six rebounds while Rottman and Humphrey each contributed seven points.
     This week, Malone (12-9, 2-7 AMC S) will continue conference play with an 8:00 p.m. contest at Shawnee State University (12-9, 6-4 AMC S) on Tuesday night.  The squad will then return home on Saturday to host Ohio Dominican University (10-11, 4-5 AMC S) at 7:30 p.m.
     This week’s opponents: Shawnee State- Malone leads the all-time series with the Bears 26-10 although Shawnee State defeated the Pioneers 80-77 earlier this season (game played January 2nd at Malone).  The two programs have split the season series each of the previous five years.  Ohio Dominican- Malone holds a 55-18 advantage in the all-time series with the Panthers but Ohio Dominican posted victories in both match-ups last season, winning 66-44 (at ODU) and 80-79 (at Malone).  The Panthers have won five out of the last seven meetings with the Pioneers.
     Malone Notes: Tyler Renner has tallied 18.5 points per game this season to lead a balanced Pioneer offensive attack that currently features five players who average more than 10 points per outing…Renner also paces the squad in rebounding with 7.9 boards per contest followed by Shane Humphrey with 6.3…Ben Carver leads the team in assists at 3.4 per game.