The Malone University men's basketball team picked up its first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory of the season on Thursday night with a thrilling 86-85 overtime win at Wayne State University.

After being fouled on a drive to the basket, senior guard Jay Parker stepped to the free-throw line with 0.6 showing on the overtime clock and calmly sank the first of his two attempts, breaking an 85-85 tie.  Parker then intentionally missed his second try to start the clock.  Wayne State scrambled to grab the rebound but was unable to attempt another shot, cementing the victory for the Pioneers.

Parker's free throw brought an end to a highly-competitive game that featured dramatic finishes at the conclusion of both regulation and the ensuing overtime period.

Overall, Thursday's contest included 10 ties and 13 lead changes.  The game was deadlocked 35-35 at halftime and seven points marked the largest lead for either team.

End of Regulation
A three-pointer by Pioneer guard Stephen O'Daniel III gave the visitors a seven-point advantage with 1:39 to go in the second half.  Wayne State fought all the way back, tying it at 75-75 with 34 seconds to play.  Parker, who connected on 12 of 15 free throws overall, then sank a pair of foul shots to put the Pioneers on top 77-75 with 15 seconds left.  Wayne State's Ronald Booth answered back on the Warriors' next trip down the floor, knotting the game back up after draining two clutch free throws with 4.9 to play.  Parker would then drive the length of the floor in the final moments of regulation and sink a lay-up, but after video review, the officials ruled that the shot came just a fraction of a second after the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
 
Overtime
Malone scored the first seven points of the extra period with a pair of buckets by center Brian Stone and three free throws from Parker.  Just like it had done in the latter stages of the second half, WSU once again fought its way back, tying the game 85-85 on a Michael Lewis three-pointer with 5.3 seconds remaining.  Following a Malone timeout, Parker was fouled on his way to the basket, setting up his game-winning free throw. 

Malone Individual Highlights
-Parker paced six Malone players in double figures with 18 points…he also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists
-Stone added 16 points and five rebounds
-Forward Mitchell Spotleson hit four of five three-pointers, ending the night with 14 points
-O'Daniel III posted 12 points, five assists and five boards
-Guard Christian Graves tallied 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks
-Forward Neil Gingerich registered 10 points and five rebounds
 
Wayne State Individual Highlights
-Booth tallied a game-high 21 points to go with four steals, three rebounds and three assists
-Guard Marcus Moore added 15 points and six rebounds
-Guard Clark Bishop tossed in 14 points and six rebounds
 
Game Notes
-The Pioneers shot 53% from the floor and knocked down 10 of 17 three-pointers (58.8%) over the course of the evening
-Malone attempted 35 foul shots in the game, hitting 24 (68.6%)
-WSU went to the charity stripe 14 times, making 11 (78.6%)
-The Warriors committed just six turnovers over the 45 minutes of action
-Wayne State held a 38-36 edge in total rebounds and a 16-8 advantage on the offensive glass
-WSU outscored Malone 48-28 in the paint, but the Pioneers enjoyed a 38-20 edge in bench points
-Malone improved to 2-1 in overtime contests this season
-The victory snapped a 13-game skid for the Pioneers
-Head Coach Casey Kaufman picked up the win in his first game since having the interim tag removed from his title
 
Up Next: Malone returns home to host the University of Findlay on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.