The Malone University men's basketball began its 2015-16 campaign on Friday evening by registering a thrilling 108-105 overtime win against Davis & Elkins College in the opening game of Cedarville University's Don Callan Classic.

A three-pointer by guard Stephen O'Daniel III put the Pioneers on top 66-62 with 12:07 to play in the second half.  However, Malone was unable to score again for the next four and a half minutes of the contest.  Davis & Elkins took advantage, pushing its lead out to as many as 15 points at 81-66 before a free throw by forward Mitchell Spotleson brought the scoring drought to a close at the 7:36 mark.

Despite the double-digit deficit, the Pioneers fought back down the stretch, using a 16-5 run to pull within 92-90 with under a minute remaining in regulation.  The Senators would push the lead back to five at 96-91, but buckets by Malone guard Jay Parker and center Brian Stone kept the Pioneers in the game.  Down three after Davis & Elkins split a pair of free throws with 17 ticks to go, Malone managed to send the contest to overtime as O'Daniel III sunk a clutch three in the final moments.  The senior was fouled on the made three-pointer but missed the ensuing free throw, keeping the score deadlocked at 98-98

Stone posted six of the first seven points of the overtime period, connecting on four free throws and a dunk to put Malone on top 104-99 midway through the extra frame.  Davis & Elkins responded with a pair of baskets to trim the Pioneer lead to one at 104-103.  A lay-up by sophomore Nate Sheppard made it 106-103 before a tip-in pulled the Senators back within two with 20 seconds to go.

Spotleson was fouled on Malone's next trip down the floor and calmly sank both of his attempts from the charity stripe to push it back out to a three-point advantage.  Davis & Elkins got off a three-point shot in the final seconds, but the attempt was off the mark, sealing the dramatic victory for the Pioneers.

Malone Individual Highlights
-Stone led all scorers with a career-high 26 pts (10-16 FG; 6-8 FT); he also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists in 29 minutes of play
-Sheppard added a career-high 23 points off the bench; 15 of those points came in the 2nd half and overtime
-Spotleson finished with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds
-Guard Christian Graves and O'Daniel III each totaled 13 points
-Parker tallied 12 points and six assists to give the Pioneers six players in double figures
-Friday's win marked the first career victory for interim head coach Casey Kaufman
 
Davis & Elkins Individual Highlights
-Kevin Bracy-Davis registered 22 points and five rebounds
-Jordan McElveen followed with 21 points
-Rickenjee Bellevue came off the bench to score 17 points
 
Game Notes
-Both teams shot near 50% from the field and over 33% from beyond the arc, but struggled at the foul line as Malone made just 15 of 28 free throws while the Senators were 20 of 39 from the stripe
-D & E outscored the Pioneers 48-38 in the paint, but Malone held a 29-22 edge on second-chance points and a substantial 43-20 advantage in points off the bench
-108 marks the most points the Pioneers have scored in a game since posting 117 in a victory over Salem International in 2012
 
Up Next: The Pioneers returns to action at the Callan Classic on Saturday with a 7:15 p.m. contest against host Cedarville.  Live video and statistics will be provided.  Links for each can be found at www.malonepioneers.com/broadcast