The Malone University men's basketball team was at home on Thursday night for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) matchup with the Lake Erie College Storm.
Malone held a a close 26-24 lead at halftime, but Lake Erie came back in the second half to take a 57-55 lead late. The Storm then blocked Malone's buzzer beater to escape Osborne Hall with the win.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Final Score: Lake Erie College Storm 57 - Malone University Pioneers 55
- Records: Lake Erie (4-4, 2-1 G-MAC) | Malone (4-2, 1-1 G-MAC)
- Location: Canton, Ohio | Osborne Hall
Despite neither team really struggling with foul trouble, it was a physical contest the entire 40 minutes.
Thing started out hot for the Pioneers as Malone scored the first five points of the game unanswered, however the physicality led to some struggles on the offensive side of the floor for both teams.
MU scored those opening five points in just over one minute of play. The next nineteen minutes saw the Pioneers add just 21 more points to that total.
Despite their offensive struggles, Malone's defensive effort kept Lake Erie in check.
Twice the Pioneers opened up an eight-point advantage, but they never were able to really pull away.
MU led 26-19 with 2:03 left in the half, but Lake Erie closed on a 5-0 run to make it just a two-point game at halftime.
The second half was back-and-forth the entire way.
The Storm opened the first two minutes on a 5-2 run to take their first lead of the night at 29-28.
Malone quickly regained the lead on a layup by Bo Myers, and was able to keep the lead until the midway point of the half.
With just 10:04 left in the game Lake Erie connected on a three-pointer to tie things up at 39-39. The Storm answered a Levi Seiler jump shot with two more triples to open up a 45-41 advantage with 8:55 left to play.
Lake Erie continued to hold a lead until a late run by the Pioneers.
Malone found themselves down 54-50 with less than five minutes to play. Coming out of the final media timeout of the night MU's defense got a stop. Bo Myers drilled a three-pointer on the other end to make it a one-point game.
After another defensive hold, Justin Miller hit a fadeaway jumper that gave the Pioneers a 55-54 lead with 2:22 remaining. Unfortunately Malone would not score again.
Lake Erie converted on a three-point play with just over a minute left to move ahead 57-55.
The Pioneers had the ball on the last possession, but Bo Myers' three-point attempt at the buzzer was blocked.
DETAILS
- Bo Myers led all scorers with a game-high 25 points. He was the only Pioneer, and one of just three total players from both teams, to finish with double-digit points.
- Malone dominated underneath the basket, outscoring Lake Erie 32-20 on points in the paint.
- The Pioners outrebounded the Storm 49-39.
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