Malone College Sports This Week
Feb. 19 (Tue.) - Women's Basketball at Notre Dame (OH) College; 6:00 p.m. (Malone College Radio)
- Men's Basketball at Notre Dame (OH) College; 8:00 p.m. (WNPQ 95.9 FM)
Feb. 21 (Thu.) - Baseball vs. Lindsey Wilson (KY) College (at Campbellsville, KY); 12:30 p.m. (single game)
- Baseball at Campbellsville (KY) University; 3:00 p.m. (single game)
- Women's Basketball home against Ursuline College; 5:30 p.m. (make-up game)
Feb. 22 (Fri.) - Baseball vs. Siena Heights (MI) University (at Campbellsville, KY); 10:00 a.m. (single game)
- Baseball at Campbellsville (KY) University; 3:00 p.m. (single game)
- Men's Tennis home against Muskingum College; 2:00 p.m. (at HOF Fitness Center)
Feb. 23 (Sat.) - Men's and Women's Track & Field at Kent State Tune-Up; 9:00 a.m.
- Baseball vs. Pikeville (KY) College (at Campbellsville, KY); 10:00 a.m.
- Baseball vs. Union (KY) College (at Campbellsville, KY); 12:30 p.m.
- Women's Basketball home against Houghton (NY) College; 5:30 p.m. (Malone College Radio)
- Men's Basketball home against Houghton (NY) College; 7:30 p.m. (WNPQ 95.9 FM)
Men's Basketball - Malone defeats:
Daemen (NY) College 78-68
- Malone loses to:
Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College 85-71
CURRENT RECORD: 19-7 (6-2 AMC North)
Women's Basketball - Malone loses to:
Daemen (NY) College 72-53
Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College 72-65
CURRENT RECORD: 7-17 (5-6 AMC North)
Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field - Malone men finished fifth and the Pioneer women placed ninth at the All-Ohio Indoor Championships at the University of Findlay last Friday and Saturday; James Zeuch finishes 23rd at U.S. Junior Nationals
Men's Tennis - Malone loses to:
West Virginia Wesleyan College 7-2
Oberlin College 7-2
CURRENT RECORD: 2-2
Men’s Basketball Splits Conference Road Games Over The Weekend; Takes Sole Possession Of First Place In AMC North
The Malone College men’s basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the American Mideast Conference North Division standings after recording an important 78-68 victory at Daemen (NY) College on Friday evening (the Pioneers and Wildcats entered Friday’s contest in a first-place tie with identical 5-1 conference records). Malone then fell on Saturday afternoon at Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College by a final score of 85-71 but maintained its one-game lead in the division because Daemen lost at home on Saturday to Point Park (PA) University 81-70. Following the 1-1 trip to upstate New York, the Pioneers’ record now stands at 19-7 overall with a 6-2 mark in AMC North play.
In Friday’s win over Daemen, Malone went on an early 14-1 run to take a 20-8 lead midway through the opening stanza. The Pioneers then stretched their advantage to as many as 18 points late in the first half before the Wildcats closed out the frame with five unanswered points to cut the deficit to 35-22 at intermission. Daemen, which made just one of nine (11.1%) three-pointers in the first half, came out on fire from three-point rage in the second period, trimming Malone’s sizable advantage all the way down to 52-51 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Wildcats then kept things close over the next few possessions but were unable to take the lead before Malone went on a quick 8-0 run to regain control of the contest at 66-57 with just 4:51 to play in the final stanza. Daemen cut the lead to six moments later after hitting its eighth trey of the second half but the Pioneers then proceeded to drain 10 of 12 free throws over the final 61 seconds to cement the crucial 78-68 road win.
Daemen converted on 50% (8 of 16) of its second-half three-pointers and finished the night with an overall field goal percentage of 42.9 (27 of 63) but struggled from the charity stripe throughout the evening, hitting just five of 15 (33.3%) free throws. Malone committed a season-high 24 turnovers but shot 51.8% (29 of 56) from the field and dominated the glass with an enormous 50-19 advantage in total rebounds.
Senior guard Ben Carver (Shelby H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. With several teammates in foul trouble, sophomore forward Mark Young (Jackson H.S.) came off the bench to make a major contribution by posting a career-high 15 points to go with six boards, two assists, and two blocks. Senior center Shane Humphrey (Loudonville H.S.) added 14 points and 11 boards for his second double-double of the season while senior forward Tyler Renner (Garaway H.S.) notched 12 points and six rebounds. Ryan Henry scored a game-high 26 points for Daemen followed by Dewan Stroud, who tossed in 19.
In Saturday’s contest at Roberts Wesleyan, the host Raiders shot over 62% (15 of 24) from the field in the first half to build a commanding 40-28 lead. Malone slowly chipped away at the sizable deficit in the second frame, getting to within four points midway through the final stanza at 54-50 before Roberts Wesleyan went on a 10-2 run to stretch its lead back to 12 points at 64-52. Despite the Pioneers' best efforts, the Raiders then sustained their double-digit advantage over the remaining eight minutes of the game to record the 85-71 victory.
Malone was unable to cool Roberts Wesleyan’s hot shooting throughout the afternoon as the hosts knocked down 55.1% (27 of 49) of their overall shot attempts, nine of 16 (56.3%) three-pointers, and 22 of 24 (91.7%) free throws. Malone, meanwhile, shot 41.1% (23 of 56) from the field, 36.8% (7 of 19) from beyond the three-point arc, and 69.2% (18 of 26) at the charity stripe.
With six points in the contest, Humphrey became the 45th Malone men’s basketball player to eclipse 1000 career points and now ranks 45th on the Pioneers’ all-time scoring list with 1002 career points.
Renner led Malone in Saturday’s game with 20 points (7-12 FG, 2-3 3PT FG, 4-7 FT) in addition to grabbing six rebounds. Carver added 17 points and four assists while junior guard Zach Fanning (Garaway H.S.) posted nine points.
Brandon Jones paced five Raiders in double-figures with 21 points (7-10 FG, 1-1 3PT FG, 6-6 FT), eight assists, and three steals. Jake Liebman added 17 points and Benjamin Lewis notched 13 points and five assists.
Playoff Picture: Malone is currently in the driver’s seat in the AMC North, holding a one-game lead over Daemen and Notre Dame (Ohio) College with two division games remaining on each team’s regular-season schedule. The Pioneers could potentially clinch the North Division Title on Tuesday if they tally a victory in their game with Notre Dame AND Daemen loses its contest at Houghton (NY) College. The AMC postseason structure has changed this year with only two automatic bids to the NAIA Division II National Tournament up for grabs (instead of three because the AMC fell below the 16-team minimum this year that the NAIA requires for a conference to receive three automatic bids). One of the two automatic bids will be awarded on Feb. 26 when the North Division champion visits the South Division Champion. The loser of this game will then be sent to the six-team AMC Tournament as the automatic #1 seed. The rest of the AMC Tournament field will consist of finishers 2 and 3 in the North Division as well as finishers 2, 3, and 4 in the South. Those five teams will be seeded by a Seeding Committee. The AMC Tournament will be contested on Feb. 28, March 1 and 4 with the top two seeds earning first-round byes. The AMC tournament champion earns the second automatic NAIA national tournament bid.
This week, Malone (19-7 overall, 6-2 AMC North) will travel to Notre Dame (OH) College (12-14 overall, 5-3 AMC North) on Tuesday evening at 8:00 p.m. before returning home on Saturday to face Houghton (NY) College (7-17 overall, 0-8 AMC North) in the regular-season finale at 7:30 p.m.
This week’s opponents: Notre Dame- Malone has won all five of its previous meetings with the Falcons including a thrilling 67-65 victory at Osborne Hall earlier this season (February 2). Houghton- The Pioneers lead the all-time series with the Highlanders 8-0 and defeated Houghton on the road earlier in the year (January 26) by a final score of 66-61.
Pioneer notes: Ben Carver paces the squad in scoring at 16.6 points per game followed closely by Tyler Renner at 16.5 and Shane Humphrey at 11.4…Renner leads the team in rebounding with 8.1 boards per outing followed by Humphrey with 5.8 and Carver with 5.0…Carver is also averaging a team-high 2.9 assists per contest…With six rebounds on Friday, Renner moved past Ryan Lent (played from 1997-2001) on Malone’s all-time rebounding list and now ranks sixth with 804 career boards.
Women’s Basketball Suffers Pair Of Losses In Upstate New York
The Malone College women’s basketball team dropped two American Mideast Conference North Division road games over the weekend as the squad fell 72-53 at NAIA Division II #17 Daemen College (Amherst, New York) on Friday evening and 72-65 to Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, New York) on Saturday afternoon. Following the 0-2 weekend, the Pioneers’ record now stands at 7-17 overall with a 5-6 mark in AMC North play.
Daemen, which entered Friday’s contest on a 14-game winning steak and in first place atop the American Mideast Conference North Division standings, scored the first ten points of the game and then never looked back en route to the 19-point triumph. The host Wildcats held the Pioneers to just 22.9% (8 of 35) shooting in the first half as they built a 38-20 lead at intermission. Daemen then maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the second stanza, stretching its lead to as many as 26 points as it pulled away for the 72-53 win.
The Pioneers struggled to get the ball into the basket throughout Friday’s contest as the squad converted on just 19 of 67 overall field goal attempts (28.4%), four of 16 three-pointers (25.0%), and only 11 of 25 free throws (44.0%). Daemen, meanwhile, held a 53-42 advantage in total rebounds, sunk 30 of 67 (44.8%) attempts from the field, and drained 10 of 14 (71.4%) free throws.
Freshman guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) posted nine points and seven rebounds to lead Malone. Senior guard Kellyn Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S.) also registered nine points for the Pioneers while senior guard Nicki Sisson (Wayne Trace H.S.) tossed in seven. Sarah Bogardus paced the Wildcats with a game-high 17 points followed by Mary Kate Wilson, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Saturday’s match-up with Roberts Wesleyan remained close throughout the first stanza before the Raiders closed out the opening frame on a 5-0 run to take a 35-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. Malone quickly fought back to tie the game at 41-41 after outscoring Roberts Wesleyan 11-6 over the first six minutes of the second half. The Pioneers were unable to grab the lead, however, and the Raiders took command of the contest moments later with a 16-3 run that put them in front 59-45 with just over five minutes remaining. The hosts then maintained their sizable advantage over the remainder of the game to record the seven-point, 72-65 victory.
Malone posted season highs in Saturday’s contest for three-point shooting percentage at 62.5% (5 of 8) and free throw shooting percentage at 82.4% (14 of 17) but struggled inside the three-point line, connecting on just 23 of its 63 (36.5%) overall field goal attempts. Both teams tallied 42 total rebounds but the Raiders fared better from the field, knocking down 32 of their 71 (45.1%) total shots. Roberts Wesleyan also forced 21 Pioneer turnovers, blocked seven shots, and snagged 12 steals.
Junior forward Tara Miller (Miami East H.S.) poured in a career-high 26 points (10-14 FG, 1-2 3PT FG, 5-5 FT) in addition to pulling down 13 boards for Malone. Murphy added 14 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists while senior guard Heather Fenner (Shelby H.S.) contributed eight points. Erin Farney paced the Raiders with 21 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks followed by Erin Vess with 19 points, six boards, three blocks, and three assists.
Playoff Picture: Despite the pair of defeats, Malone enters the final week of the regular season (with three games remaining) in fifth place in the AMC North Division standings and, therefore, would qualify for the AMC postseason tournament as the North Division’s fourth seed if the playoffs started today (the AMC North and South Division regular season champions will each receive automatic bids to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The number two through five finishers in each division will compete in an eight-team postseason tournament with the winner receiving the conference’s third and final automatic bid).
This week, Malone (7-17 overall, 5-6 AMC North) will travel to Notre Dame (OH) College (19-6 overall, 9-3 AMC North) on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. before returning home to face Ursuline College (10-15 overall, 3-8 AMC North) on Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. The squad will then wrap up its regular-season schedule on Saturday at home with a 5:30 p.m. contest against Houghton (NY) College (14-10 overall, 7-5 AMC North).
This week’s opponents: Notre Dame- Malone leads the all-time series between the two schools 25-4 and defeated the Falcons at Osborne Hall earlier this season (February 2) by a final score of 76-70. The Pioneers have won 10 in a row over Notre Dame. Ursuline- Malone has won all seven of the previous meetings between the two schools, including an 88-80 victory at Ursuline earlier this season (January 3). Houghton- The Pioneers hold a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series although the Highlanders defeated Malone earlier this year (January 26 at Houghton) by a final score of 64-53. The Pioneers had won four straight meetings over Highlanders prior to their 11-point loss last month.
Pioneer notes: Kellyn Murphy paces the squad in scoring at 15.6 points per game followed by Tara Miller at 9.2 and Allyson Wilson at 7.3…Miller leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 boards per outing followed by Nicole Feher with 6.8 and Murphy with 5.8…Murphy is also averaging a team-high 2.3 assists per contest.
Men's Track & Field Finishes Fifth At All-Ohio Indoor Championships Last Weekend; Women Place Ninth
The Malone College men's track & field team posted a fifth-place finish at the All-Ohio Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Findlay, last Friday and Saturday while the women's squad placed ninth. The Pioneer men's team tallied 40.5 points as The Ohio State University won the men's team title with 190.5 points and the University of Cincinnati finished runners-up with 166.5 points. In the women's meet, Malone finished with 14 points as Miami University took the women's team title with 161.5 points. Cincinnati finished second with 106 points. Numerous automatic and provisional qualifying marks were posted by the men's and women's squads.
For the men, Justin Baum (Sr., Kenston H.S.) won the 5000 meters in a time of 14:47.09 to automatically qualify for the NAIA indoor national meet. Also posting automatic qualifying times for the men were Evan Gaynor (So., Delta H.S.) and Mike Coates (Sr., Sandy Valley H.S.) in the 3000 meters as they finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in times of 8:42.58 and 8:45.43.
Finishing third in an event for the men was Brady West (Sr., West Muskingum H.S.) who placed third in the heptathlon with 4007 points. Shane McLaughlin (So., Caldwell H.S.) placed fourth in the heptathlon with 3997 points.
Other top-eight finishers (who scored points for the team) included McLaughlin in the high jump (5th, 6' 4.75"), Steven Young (Fr., Gladstone, MO) in the triple jump (5th, 40' 3.5") and the 4x400-meter relay team of Garrett Oliver (So., Benjamin Logan H.S.), Bryan Krieger (So., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.), Bryan McCanna (Fr., Smithville H.S.) and Chris Cruise (Sr., Field H.S.) which placed sixth in a time of 3:30.53.
For the women's team, Rebekah Genter (Jr., Crestview H.S.) posted an auto qualifying time in the 3000 meters in 10:25.96 (sixth place) while the 4x400-meter relay unit of Kim Winton (Jr., Medina H.S.), Laura McElrath (Sr., Tallmadge H.S.), Amanda Theis (Fr., Seneca East H.S.) and Vallie Scott (Jr., West Branch H.S.) also automatically qualified with a time of 4:04.06 (seventh place).
Provisional qualifiers for the women's team included Theis in the 800 meters (2:22.22, 15th), Scott in the 400 meters (1:00.28, 13th), Kalie Hauenstein (So., Ashland H.S.) in the 3000 meters (10:36.21, 11th) and the distance medley relay team of Kayleigh Bildstein (Fr., Madison H.S.), Megan Patton (Jr., Perry H.S.), Theis and Lindsey Pifher (Fr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) in a time of 12:51.87 (7th).
Rebecca Rospotynski (So., Copley H.S.) finished fifth in the pole vault with a leap of 11' 8" while McElrath also had a top-eight finish with a sixth-place finish in the pentathlon with 3087 points.
SPECIAL NOTE: Men's track & field and cross country athlete James Zeuch (Fr., Galion H.S.) competed at the U.S. Junior Nationals in San Diego last weekend. Among approximately 100 athletes, Zeuch finished 23rd in the 8K event in a time of 25:42 and just missed qualifying for the U.S. Junior team (only top 15 qualified). The time was just two seconds off his personal best cross country time at Malone.
This week, the Malone teams will compete at the Kent State University Tune-Up Meet on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. in their final competition before the NAIA Indoor National Championships March 6-8 in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Men's Tennis Loses To West Virginia Wesleyan, Oberlin
The Malone College men's tennis team lost a pair of matches last week in as many contests as the squad dropped a 7-2 decision at home to West Virginia Wesleyan College on Friday and then lost to Oberlin College on the road on Saturday by the same 7-2 score.
Against a strong West Virginia Wesleyan team, which had also beaten Walsh University 8-1, the Pioneers "played very well" according to head coach Tom Brown.
Scores for the two matches (in order - West Virginia Wesleyan, Oberlin) were as follows:
#1 Jason Christman (Sr., McKinley H.S.) L 6-4, 6-4 L 6-2, 6-4
#2 Kyle Bowers (Jr., Norwalk H.S.) L 6-2, 6-1 W 6-2, 6-2
#3 David Cairns (Fr., Strongsville, OH) L 6-2, 6-4 W 6-3, 6-1
#4 Nathaniel Rodd (So., Canton, OH) L 6-4, 6-3 L 6-4, 6-0
#5 Tim Springirth (Jr., Erie, PA) L 6-2, 6-2 L 6-4, 7-6
#6 Dan Yard (Sr., Louisville H.S.) L 6-1, 6-0 L 1-6, 6-4/ 10-8
#1 Christman/Bowers W 8-6 L 8-3
#2 Rodd/Springirth W 8-3 L 8-4
#3 Cairns/Tim Frazier (So., Beaver Falls, PA) L 8-3 L 8-6
This week, Malone (2-2) will host Muskingum College on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the Hall of Fame Fitness Center in its only match of the week.
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