Box Score
A struggling first-half shooting performance, which saw the Pioneers shoot 1-14 from three-point range and 22.2% from the field, all but derailed the Malone University men's basketball team's (6-6, 4-4 GLIAC) chances of earning a victory as they fell to Grand Valley State University (10-2, 6-2 GLIAC) by a score of 87-74.

The Lakers stormed out of the gates to take a 24-6 lead just eight minutes into the ballgame. The lead would swell to 26 points, 46-20, at halftime, thanks in large part to Malone's shooting woes and Grand Valley's strength and and tenacity in the paint.

A revitalized Pioneer team took the floor for the second half. Malone connected on 9-20 (45%) trifectas in the second half, en route to scoring 54 second half points. Unfortunately, the 30 point lead Grand Valley State built at one point proved insurmountable. The 13 point deficit on the scoreboard at the game's conclusion was the closest Malone came to the lead all second half.

Senior Cory Veldhuizen paced Malone with 17 points while sophomore Christian Graves netted 15. Senior Isiah Elliott also reached double figures with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. Luke Ryskamp led the Lakers with 17 points, while Chaz Rollins contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.

For the contest, Malone shot 39.7% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. Grand Valley State managed a blistering 54.5% on field goals and 38.9% from downtown. Despite being outrebounded 24-13 at the half, Malone managed to win the battle of the boards at game's end 34-33.

The Pioneers will now take the road to visit Lake Erie College next Thursday at 8:00 pm. The game will be broadcasted by ESPN 990 and www.espn990.com.