The Malone University men's basketball team fell at home to Ohio Christian University on Tuesday night by a final score of 74-64.
Three straight buckets by senior forward
Brian Stone midway through the first half allowed the Pioneers to grab their largest lead of the evening at 19-13. However, the Trailblazers responded with an 11-1 scoring run over the next three and a half minutes to pull ahead 24-20. OCU guard Marquis Jackson, who entered the game ranked eighth nationally in NAIA Division II with an average of 26.1 points per outing, helped fuel the rally, knocking down three mid-range jumpers during the spurt.
The Trailblazers took a 35-28 advantage into the locker room at intermission and then stretched their lead out to 55-40 eight minutes into the second stanza.
Malone fought back down the stretch, cutting the deficit to 69-64 following consecutive baskets by guard
Jay Parker and forward
Mitchell Spotleson. The five-point margin was as close as the Pioneers would get, though, as OCU held the hosts off the scoreboard over the final 80 seconds to secure their seventh victory of the season.
Malone Individual Highlights- Stone scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field (and 1 of 2 accuracy from the foul line); he also grabbed six rebounds
-Spotleson posted 13 of his 15 points in the second half while also grabbing seven rebounds
-Parker added 10 points off the bench
Ohio Christian Individual Highlights-Jackson finished with a game-high 23 points; he also grabbed six rebounds and handed out six assists
-Forward Nic Baker hit five of 10 three-pointers on his way to 15 points
-Forward Tribune Daily added 10 points and three rebounds off the bench
Game Notes-Malone held a 34-26 advantage on points in the paint, but also shot a season-low 37.5% from the field and 29.2% from the three-point line
-The Trailblazers held a 9-2 edge in fast-break points
-The Pioneers won the battle of the boards 39-35 and held a 15-8 advantage on the offensive glass
Up Next: Malone will host Silver Lake College on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
