Box Score
The Malone University men's basketball team (11-8, 8-7 GLIAC) couldn't overcome its second-half shooting woes, falling at home to Walsh University 65-55 on Saturday.

It was a bittersweet day for junior Isiah Elliott. The Pioneers' point guard tied for a team-high 17 points, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone with a driving layup midway through the  first half, but would have to leave the contest in the second half due to injury. The Pioneers' offense struggled in his absence, shooting 31% from the field in the second half.

Walsh (13-5, 9-5 GLIAC) took control of the game early, opening the contest with a 19-9 run. Malone responded by going on a 13-4 spurt of their own, pulling within one point after freshman Brian Stone's layup. However, Walsh's Kenny Kornowski, who finished with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, reeled off a quick eight points over a 1:20 span to help the Cavs take a 36-29 halftime lead.

Malone would remain within striking distance for the majority of the second half but couldn't generate quite enough offense to make a serious charge. A six minute and eleven second scoreless dry spell starting at the eight minute mark was ultimately the Pioneers' undoing.

Junior Cory Veldhuizen matched Elliott with 17 points while also hauling in a team-high eight rebounds. However, the junior duo of Veldhuizen and Elliott were the only Malone players to reach double figures. Senior Zach Bates was the next high scorer with six points. Jeff Copeland and Rian Burrell joined Kornowski in double figures for Walsh, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well for the game. Walsh edged Malone in overall field-gaol percentage at 39.0% to 36.2% while also holding a slight edge in three-point shooting at 26.7% to 23.8%. The Cavaliers connected on 15 of 19 free-throw attempts (78.9%) while the Pioneers hit eight of their 10 attempts (80%).

Malone will next take the court Thursday night, Feb. 7th  at 6:00 p.m. when the squad hits the road to take on Lake Erie College (6-13 overall, 3-12 GLIAC).  The Malone Sports Network will provide live audio during the game at www.malonepioneers.com/showcase.