Men's Tennis - Malone defeats:
                               Muskingum College  6-3
                        CURRENT RECORD:  6-4

 

Women's Tennis - Malone loses to:
                                   Baldwin-Wallace College  9-0
                              CURRENT RECORD:  1-7

 

Men’s Basketball Finishes Fifth At NCCAA National Tournament After Posting 2-1 Record

     The Malone College men’s basketball team competed as the #7 seed at the National Christian College Athletic Association’s (NCCAA) Men’s Basketball National Tournament March 15-17 hosted by Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana.  The Pioneers posted a 2-1 record in three games during the eight-team tournament to come away with a fifth-place finish.  Malone opened competition last Thursday with a heartbreaking 93-91 first-round loss to #2 seed and eventual tournament runner-up Grace (IN) College after the Lancers tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer.  The Pioneers were able to bounce back on Friday to post a 89-73 win over #6 seed Dallas Baptist University and then outlasted #8 seed Mid-Continent (KY) University 102-92 on Saturday to claim a fifth-place overall finish.  Fifth-seeded Bethel (IN) College won the NCCAA national title after defeating Grace in the tournament’s championship game.  With the 2-1 week, the Pioneers finished the season with an overall record of 19-14.
     In Thursday’s opening-round contest with Grace, Malone trailed 49-47 at halftime but then used a 19-5 run midway through the second stanza to take an 82-72 lead with less than seven minutes remaining in the contest.  The Lancers fought back, though, outscoring the Pioneers 19-9 over the next several minutes to tie the game at 91 with 1:30 remaining on the clock.  An offensive foul was then called on the Pioneers’ final possession of the game, giving the ball back to Grace with just 15 seconds remaining and the score still knotted at 91-91.  The Lancers’ initial shot on their final trip down the floor was off the mark but Grace’s 6’10” forward Eric Gaff was able to tip in the missed attempt just as the buzzer sounded to give his squad the dramatic 93-91 victory.  Malone made 34 of 60 shots (56.7%) from the field on the afternoon, including an impressive 15 of 25 attempts (60%) from beyond the three-point arc.  The Pioneers struggled to take care of the basketball, though, as the squad turned the ball over 18 times compared to just 10 turnovers for the Lancers.  Grace also held a slim 30-29 advantage in total rebounds and made 19 of their 20 (95%) free throw attempts.  Junior guard Ben Carver (Shelby H.S.) tallied 20 points (7-12 FG, 4-7 3PT FG, 2-3 FT) and six assists to pace a balanced Malone offensive attack that featured six players in double figures.  Junior post player Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.) followed with 19 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots while senior guard Jesse Schlabach (Lake H.S.) posted 14 points and six assists.  Junior post player Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) added 13 points, sophomore forward Jarrod Ferwerda (Lake H.S.) tallied 11, and senior guard Chris Miller (Hiland H.S.) came off the bench to contribute 10.
     Against NCAA Div. II Dallas Baptist on Friday, Malone used a 13-2 run midway through the first period to take an early 25-17 lead.  The Patriots fought back, though, outscoring the Pioneers 15-8 over the remainder of the opening stanza to cut Malone’s halftime advantage to one at 33-32.  The Pioneers’ lead then ballooned to as many as 11 points at the start of the second frame before Dallas Baptist once again charged back, cutting Malone’s advantage to 56-54 with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.  This two-point deficit would be as close as the Patriots would get, however, as the Pioneers were able to put the game away over the next few minutes with a 12-3 run.  Malone then cemented the 89-73 victory by hitting 15 of 18 free throws over the final two minutes of the contest as Dallas Baptist continuously fouled in an unsuccessful attempt to get back into the game.  Schlabach paced Malone with 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half.  Renner also tallied 20 points to go with 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.  Humphrey added 18 points, nine boards and four assists while Carver contributed 12 points, five assists and five rebounds.
     In Saturday’s contest against Mid-Continent, Malone took a sizable 50-33 lead into the locker room at halftime and then appeared to have the game in hand after increasing its advantage to 82-56 with just under seven minutes remaining in the contest.  However, the Cougars were able to mount a remarkable comeback with a 24-1 run over the next several minutes that cut Malone’s enormous lead down to just three at 83-80 with 3:07 left on the clock.  Mid-Continent was unable to completely close the gap, though, as the Pioneers broke out of their late-game slump to pull away for the 102-92 win.  Malone’s hot shooting during the tournament continued in Saturday’s game as the Pioneers made over 51% (32-62) of their attempts from the field.  Renner led Malone with 28 points (11-18 FG, 0-2 3PT FG, 6-10 FT) and 14 rebounds for his second double-double of the tournament.  Carver followed with 26 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3PT FG, 16-21 FT), 11 rebounds, and nine assists, narrowly missing his first career triple-double.  Schlabach tallied 15 points, Humphrey posted 13, and Ferwerda contributed 12 to help the Pioneers surpass 100 points for only the fifth time this season. 
     For his efforts at the NCCAA national tournament, Tyler Renner was voted to the All-Tournament Team.  In addition, in NCCAA national voting, he received Second Team NCCAA All-American honors.

Men's Tennis Defeats Muskingum 6-3

Women's Tennis Loses To Baldwin-Wallace 9-0

     The Malone College women's tennis team lost its only match of the week last week in a 9-0 loss to Baldwin-Wallace College at home on Saturday.   With the 0-1 week, the team now stands at 1-7 overall on the season.

    Scores for the match were as follows:
#1 Cami Urdea (Jr., Brasov, Romania)              L 6-2, 6-3
#2 Ann Marie Burton (So., Wadsworth H.S.     L 6-4, 6-2

#3 Emily Farls (Sr., Beaver, PA)                        L 6-0, 6-3
#4 April Victor (Fr., Tallmadge H.S.)                  L 6-1, 6-0
#5 Lynsey Fuller (Fr., Canton South H.S.)        L 7-5, 6-2

#6 Jackie Quilter (Jr., GlenOak H.S.)                 L forfeit (injury)        
#1 Urdea/Burton                                                L 8-5
#2 Farls/Victor                                                  L 8-6
#3 Quilter/Fuller                                                 L forfeit (injury)
     This week, the team is idle and will next compete on Monday, March 26th at Ashland University (3:30 p.m.).