The Malone University men's basketball team lost its GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) road contest against DII #25 Ferris State University (MI) Thursday night 82-65.   

After falling behind 7-4 in the early going, the Pioneers tied things up at the 14:44 mark on a three-pointer by guard Jason Miller. The visitors then pulled ahead on back-to-back lay-ups by forward Brian Stone before the Bulldogs answered with a pair of buckets to knot the score once more at 11-11.  Following a trey by Pioneer guard Stephen O'Daniel III, Ferris State rattled off nine straight points to grab a 20-14 advantage.  The hosts then stretched their first-half lead to as many as 10 points before heading to locker room holding a 35-27 edge.

Two quick three pointers extended Ferris State's lead to 41-27 at the start of the second period. The Bulldogs then looked to put the game out of reach before the hot hand of guard Nate Sheppard pulled Malone back to within 57-50 at the 9:20 mark of the second half.  The freshman sharp-shooter scored 11 consecutive points over a two-minute span to put the Pioneers back within striking distance.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the seven-point margin was as close as they would get as the Bulldogs pulled away over the final four minutes.   With the victory, Ferris State remained undefeated in conference play and extended its winning streak to 11 in a row.

Sheppard finished the evening with a team-best 14 points and three assists for the Pioneers.  Freshman guard Ben Haraway added 10 points while Stone, O'Daniel III and forward Mitch Spotleson all tallied eight points.  Forward Neil Gingerich had a team high five rebounds.

The Pioneers continue conference play in Michigan as they head to face Grand Valley State University on Saturday, January 10^th at 3:00 p.m.