The Malone University football team dropped its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Wayne State University on Saturday night by a final score of 56-21.

A 65-yard touchdown run by tailback Matt Blasiole gave the Pioneers a 21-14 lead with 3:44 showing on the second-quarter clock.  However, the Warriors knotted the score 21-21 on a 42-yard touchdown pass with under 40 seconds remaining in the first half and then pulled away after the break, scoring 35 points over the final 30 minutes.

Wayne State (2-1 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) held an early 14-0 lead after reaching the end zone on its first two drives of the contest.  Malone (0-3 overall, 0-3 GLIAC) responded with a 14-play, 75-yard march, cutting the deficit to 14-7 on a one-yard plunge by Blasiole - his first touchdown run of the game.

Wide receiver Ashton Dulin then tied things up at 14-14 midway through the second quarter when he crossed the goal line on an end-around play from 13 yards out.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Warriors' next possession, Blasiole broke free on the longest run of his collegiate career, racing 65 yards to notch his fifth touchdown of the season and give the Pioneers the lead.

After tying the game up just before halftime, the Warriors' took command with a 21-point third quarter.  WSU engineered scoring drives of 79 & 66 yards on its first two possessions of the second half and then took advantage of Malone's only turnover of the game, quickly pulling ahead 42-21 after recovering a fumble at the Pioneer 17-yard line with roughly five minutes to play in the third stanza.

Individual Highlights (Malone)
-Blasiole finished with a career-high 120 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns
-WR Eian Elsass pulled in five catches for a career-high 100 yards
-Dulin posted one catch for 12 yards to go with his 13-yard TD run
-LB Ryan Weber recorded double-digit tackles for the second straight game, this time finishing with 12
-LB Dan Mower added 10 stops
-DB James Pawlyk had nine tackles
 
Individual Highlights (Wayne State)
-QB D.J. Zezula completed 16 of 18 passes for 254 yards and three scores
-TE Trent Brodbeck snagged four catches for 126 yards and two TDs
-RB Demetrius Stinson tallied 129 rushing yards and scored twice
 
Game Notes
-In addition to being a career high, Blasiole's 120 yards marked the highest single-game rushing total for a Pioneer since the 2013 season and the first 100-yard rushing performance since Ronnie Beers picked up 116 yards last year at Tiffin
-The Pioneers out-gained the Warriors 249-199 in the first half, but were unable to get their offense on track over the final two quarters
 
Up Next: The Pioneers return home next Saturday to host Tiffin University in a 1:00 p.m. contest.  Watch the game live at http://livestream.com/maloneuniversity