Women's Basketball - Malone defeats:
                                           Ohio Dominican University 54-51
                                   Malone loses to:
                                           Shawnee State University  68-50

 

Men's Basketball - Malone defeats:
                                    Ohio Dominican University  70-69

                              Malone loses to:

                                    Shawnee State University   69-64
                              CURRENT RECORD: 13-10  (3-8 AMC South)

Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field - Malone competed at the University of Findlay Indoor Track Classic last Friday and Saturday (numerous NAIA qualifiers); Malone also sent race walkers to the Cedarville University Invitational on Friday (three athletes qualified for NAIA nationals)

Women’s Basketball Posts 1-1 Record On The Week

     The Malone College women’s basketball team split a pair of American Mideast Conference South Division match-ups last week, starting with a 68-50 defeat on the road last Tuesday night against Shawnee State University.  The Pioneers were then able to bring an end to their three-game losing streak on Saturday evening at home with a 54-51 victory over Ohio Dominican University.  With 20 points in Saturday’s contest, junior forward Cara Shiplett (Northwest H.S) surpassed 1,000 total points in her collegiate playing career.  Shiplett scored 309 points at Baldwin-Wallace College as a freshman and has now scored 703 points in less than two seasons at Malone, thus giving her a total of 1012 points in her college basketball career.  Following the 1-1 week in conference play, the Pioneers’ overall record now stands at 14-10 with a 6-6 mark in the AMC South.
     Shawnee State jumped out to a 12-2 lead early in Tuesday’s contest and then did not surrender their advantage for the remainder of the game.  Although Malone closed out the first half on an 8-2 run to cut the Bears’ lead to just three at 30-27, Shawnee State was able to pull away early in the second stanza with a 10-0 run before cruising to the 68-50 victory.  The Pioneers held a slight 43-40 advantage on the boards in Tuesday’s game, but struggled to get their offense on track as the squad converted on just 17 of 59 shot attempts (28.8%) while committing 24 turnovers.  Senior forward Nikki Parson (Garaway H.S.) paced Malone with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.  Junior guard Nicki Sisson (Wayne Trace H.S.) followed with 14 points, including a season-high four three-pointers, while Shiplett pulled down seven rebounds.
     Against Ohio Dominican, Malone appeared to be headed into the locker room at halftime with a six-point lead after Shiplett made two free throws with just a few seconds remaining on the clock.  The Pioneers’ halftime advantage was cut to three at 29-26, though, when Panther guard Katalin Beck buried a desperation shot at the buzzer from beyond half-court.  Both teams battled back and forth throughout the second stanza until two Ohio Dominican free throws tied the game at 50-50 with just over a minute remaining.  Malone was able to convert on four free throws over its next two possessions to take a 54-50 lead.  Ohio Dominican forward Krissy Haines was then fouled on the Panthers’ final possession of the game and was sent to the line for two free throws with just five seconds on the clock.  Haines sunk her first attempt, but then missed the second.  Both teams scrambled to grab the rebound, but time expired before Ohio Dominican could secure the ball, giving Malone the 54-51 victory.  Although the Pioneers made just five of their 24 (20.8%) second-half field goal attempts, the squad was able to convert on 15 of 16 (93.8%) second-half free throws and held a 43-33 advantage in total rebounds.  Shiplett’s 20 points (3-8 FG, 14-14 FT) led all scorers and her 14 of 14 performance from the free throw line was just one shy of tying the school record for most free throws made in a game.  Junior guard Kellyn Murphy (St. Vincent/St. Mary H.S.) followed with nine points while Parson contributed eight points and 12 boards.
     This week, Malone (14-10, 6-6 AMC S) will host Mount Vernon Nazarene University (8-14, 1-11 AMC S) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before facing off against Walsh University (5-15, 3-9 AMC S) in the 11th annual Mayors’ Cup game on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
     This week’s opponents: Mount Vernon Nazarene- The Pioneers hold a 28-19 lead in the all-time series with the Cougars, including an 81-69 win earlier this season (at Mount Vernon Nazarene).  Malone has won seven out of the last eight match-ups between the two schools.  Walsh-  Malone leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers 33-28 and defeated Walsh 60-56 earlier this season (at Walsh).  In the Mayors’ Cup series, Malone holds a 6-4 advantage and has won the past two Mayors’ Cup games.  The Pioneers will look to retire the Cup (i.e., winning three straight Mayors' Cup games) on Saturday for the second time in the history of the series (Walsh has yet to retire the Cup).
     Malone Notes: Nikki Parson leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game followed by Cara Shiplett at 14.4…Parson also paces the squad in rebounding with 9.4 boards per outing followed by Shiplett with 8.6…Kellyn Murphy leads the team in assists at 3.1 per contest.

Men’s Basketball Falls To Shawnee State, Rebounds To Claim Thrilling Victory Over Ohio Dominican

     The Malone College men’s basketball team traveled to Shawnee State University on Tuesday evening and suffered a 69-64 American Mideast Conference South Division defeat.  Malone was able to rebound on Saturday at home, though, with a dramatic 70-69 victory over Ohio Dominican University.  With the Pioneers trailing 69-68 in Saturday’s contest, senior guard Jesse Schlabach (Lake H.S.) was sent to the free throw line with 1.5 seconds remaining in the game after being fouled on a drive to the basket.  Following an Ohio Dominican timeout, Schlabach calmly stepped to the line and sank both of his attempts to put Malone in front by one.  Ohio Dominican had one last chance on an inbounds play from under their own basket with just 0.4 seconds remaining, but the desperation lob attempt was deflected away by senior forward James Hannum (Massillon Washington H.S.), thus cementing the Pioneer victory and ending Malone’s three-game losing streak.  Following the 1-1 week, the Pioneers’ overall record now stands at 13-10 with a 3-8 mark in the AMC South.
     In last Tuesday’s game with Shawnee State, the Bears took an early 12-2 lead before Malone fought back, outscoring Shawnee State 32-19 over the remainder of the first half to claim a 34-31 halftime advantage.  The Bears would not regain the lead again until the final moments of the second half when Shawnee State guard Aaron Davis hit two free throws with 22 seconds remaining to give his squad a 64-62 lead.  The Bears then proceeded to nail five of their final six free throw attempts in the final moments to secure the 69-64 victory.  Malone held a slight 35-32 advantage on the glass in Tuesday’s contest, but the squad struggled from the field in the second half, making just nine of its 28 field goal attempts (32.1%), including just two of 13 shots (15.4%) from behind the three-point arc.  Junior post player Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with a game-high 22 points (8-10 FG, 1-1 3PT FG, 5-8 FT) in addition to pulling in seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.  Freshman guard Linc Rottman (Triway H.S.) came off the bench to contribute 13 points and two blocked shots while junior guard Ben Carver (Shelby H.S.) tallied 12 points.
     In Saturday’s victory over Ohio Dominican, Malone jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and then maintained a sizable advantage for the remainder of the first half, taking a 35-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.  The Panthers quickly got back in the game, claiming their first lead of the contest after starting the second half on a 9-0 run.  The teams battled back and forth over the remainder of the second period until two Ohio Dominican free throws put the Panthers in front 69-65 with a minute remaining in the game.  Junior post player Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.) was able to cut the deficit to one on Malone’s ensuing possession after being fouled on a successful shot attempt and then sinking the subsequent free throw with 41 seconds on the clock.  A foul was then called on Malone on Ohio Dominican’s next trip down the floor but the Panthers missed their free throw attempt, allowing the Pioneers’ final possession and Schlabach’s clutch free throws.  Schlabach paced Malone with 22 points (6-17 FG, 6-13 3PT FG, 4-4 FT), including a season-high six three-pointers.  Carver followed with 16 points and four assists while Renner came off the bench to contribute 15 points and six rebounds.  In addition, Hannum pulled down eight boards and dished out four assists.
     This week, Malone (13-10, 3-8 AMC S) will host a pair of conference games against nationally-ranked opponents starting with a 7:30 p.m. contest against NAIA Division II #11 Mount Vernon Nazarene University (18-4, 10-2 AMC S) on Tuesday evening.  The squad will then take on NAIA Division II #5 Walsh University (20-3, 11-1 AMC S) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the 43rd annual Mayors’ Cup game.
     This week’s opponents: Mount Vernon Nazarene-  Malone leads the all-time series with the Cougars 39-22, although Mount Vernon Nazarene defeated the Pioneers 97-75 earlier this season.  The Cougars have now won six out of the last seven match-ups between the two schools.  Walsh-  The Cavaliers hold a 55-38 advantage in the all-time series with Malone and defeated the Pioneers 80-74 earlier this season (at Walsh).  The Cavaliers have won 15 out of the last 16 contests between the two schools.  In the Mayors’ Cup series, Walsh leads 24-18 and has won the last seven Mayors’ Cup contests including an 89-66 victory (at Walsh) last season.  Walsh has retired the Cup (i.e., winning three straight Mayors' Cup games) four times, while Malone has retired the Cup three times.
     Malone Notes: Tyler Renner leads the team in scoring at 18.4 points per game followed by Ben Carver at 14.0 and Jesse Schlabach at 12.1…Renner also paces the squad in rebounding with 7.8 boards per outing…Carver leads the team in assists with 3.3 per contest.

 

     The Malone College men's and women's indoor track & field teams competed at the University of Findlay Indoor Track Classic last Friday and Saturday and also sent race walk athletes to the Cedarville University Invitational on Friday.  Numerous Pioneer athletes qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships at the events.
     At Findlay, for the Malone women, Laura McElrath (Jr. Tallmadge H.S.) posted a fifth-place finish in the pentathlon (60mH, LJ, HJ, SP, 800m) with an NAIA qualifying score of 3139 points.  Others who qualified for the women included Kalie Hauenstine (Fr., Ashland H.S.), with a sixth-place finish in the 5000 meters (18:43.25), Brittany Davies (Sr., Cedarville H.S.), with an eighth-place finish in the 1000 meters (3:06.66), and Emily Alderfer (Fr., Urbana H.S.), with a 12th-place effort in the shot put (40' 1.25").
     For the men's team, the 4x800-meter relay unit of Chris Sinick (Fr., Field H.S.), Paul Robinson (Fr., Field H.S.), Nik Schweikert (So., Beavercreek H.S.) and Mike Coates (Jr., Sandy Valley H.S.) placed second in a time of 7:56.13 to qualify for the NAIA national meet.  Other qualifiers for the men included Chris Hare (Sr., Coopersville, MI), who finished fourth in the heptathlon (60m, LJ, SP, HJ, 60mH, PV, 1000m) with 4414 points (a new Malone record), Brady West (Sr., West Muskingum H.S.), who placed fifth in the heptathlon with 4212 points, Chris Cruise (Jr., Field H.S.), who took fifth in the 400 meters (50.91), Justin Baum (Jr., Kenston H.S.), who placed fifth in the 3000 meters (8:51.20), and Chad Armstrong (Sr., Ashtabula H.S.), who placed 12th in the 35 lb. weight throw (51' 1.75").
     At the Cedarville meet, three men's athletes posted automatic qualifying times for the NAIA indoor nationals in the 3000-meter race walk.  Chris Diaz (So., McAllen, TX) finished fourth in a time of 15:02.24 while Brad Sinick (Sr., Field H.S.) took fifth in 15:54.98 and Joe Carmany (Sr., New Middletown Springfield H.S.) who was sixth in 16:06.62.

     This week, the Malone teams will send athletes to the University of Akron Invitational on Friday (2:00 p.m.) and Saturday (8:00 a.m.) while other Pioneer athletes will compete at the Mt. Union College Invitational on Saturday (10:00 a.m.).