Findlay Pulls Away From Pioneers In Second Half

The Malone University men’s basketball team fell on the road to the University of Findlay on Thursday evening as the Oilers, who are currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division II, used a 14-0 scoring run midway through the second half to pull away for an 81-70 victory.  The Pioneers shot 50% (27 of 54) from the field over the course of the evening but also committed a season-high 23 turnovers.  Malone’s record fell to 1-2 with the hard-fought defeat while Findlay, which won the NCAA Division II National Championship last season with a perfect 36-0 record, improved to 2-0 on the season.

 The Pioneers held a 31-28 advantage with four minutes remaining in the first half of Thursday’s contest but the Oilers outscored Malone 10-2 over the remainder of the period to take 38-33 lead into the locker room at intermission.  Findlay then held the Pioneers scoreless for a nearly five-minute stretch early in the second stanza to grab a commanding 61-41 advantage.

21 of the Oilers’ points came at the foul line as the hosts shot 84.0% (21 of 25) from the charity stripe.  Findlay also totaled 16 steals and shot the ball well from the field, hitting 26 of 56 (46.4%) field-goal attempts, including eight of 19 (42.1%) three-pointers.  Malone held a 37-25 advantage in total rebounds while hitting nine of its 25 (36.0%) shots from beyond the three-point arc and seven of its eight (87.5%) tries from the foul line.

Senior forward Mark Young (Jackson H.S.) tossed in 15 points as he made both of his free throw attempts and sank six of seven shots from the field, including the only three-pointer he attempted.  Sophomore guard Eric Coblentz (Lake H.S.) also tallied 15 points with three assists.  Junior guard Kyle Higgins (Columbus West H.S.) followed with 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.  Junior forward Nick Watts (Holland, MI) added seven points, five rebounds, and three assists while senior guard Jeremy Duerr (Lake H.S.) scored five points and dished out a season-high six assists.

The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday when they face another highly-ranked opponent, NAIA Division II No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan University (5-1 overall).  Tip-off for Saturday’s home contest is slated for 4:00 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on WNPQ 95.9 FM and on the internet at www.thelight959.com.  Live statistics will also be available on the internet at http://multimedia.malone.edu/athletics/basketball/mens/xlive.htm.

Malone Unable To Overcome First-Half Shooting Struggles In 65-57 Loss To Ohio Valley

The Malone University women’s basketball team suffered a 65-57 non-conference loss in its home opener against NCAA Division II Ohio Valley University on Tuesday evening.  The Pioneers never led in the contest as the hosts trailed 33-22 at halftime after connecting on just four of their 24 (16.7%) shots from the field over the first 20 minutes of play.  Malone’s offense got on track in the second period as the squad used a late 9-0 scoring run to trim a 15-point Fighting Scot advantage to just 56-50 with 3:39 remaining in the contest.  However, the Pioneers were unable to get any closer over the remainder of the game as OVU brought the Malone scoring spurt to an end with a lay-up and then converted on five of six free throws down the stretch to cement the eight-point victory.  The loss dropped the Pioneers’ overall record to 2-3 on the season while Ohio Valley moved to 1-0 with the win in its season opener.

Malone knocked down 10 of 27 (37.0%) field-goal attempts in the second half to end the game with an overall shooting percentage of 27.5% (14 of 51).  Despite their struggles from the field, the Pioneers were red hot from the foul line as the squad sank 27 of 30 (90.0%) free throws.  Ohio Valley converted on 38.1% (24 of 63) of its field-goal tries over the course of the evening, including seven of 23 (30.4%) three-pointers.  Like Malone, the Fighting Scots also took advantage of their trips to charity stripe, converting on 10 of 13 (76.9%) foul shots.  OVU enjoyed a 42-36 advantage in total rebounds and forced 21 Malone turnovers.

Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with a season-high 21 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 3PT FG, 8-10 FT) and 12 rebounds.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) and sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) each followed with 14 points apiece with Anatra also contributing six rebounds and four steals.

Center Kendra Benedict paced Ohio Valley with 27 points (11-17 FG, 5-7 FT), 12 boards, three steals and two blocks.

Malone will look to bounce back on Saturday at home as it faces off with former American Mideast Conference member Ohio Dominican University at 2:00 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on WNPQ 95.9 FM and on the internet at www.thelight959.com.  Live statistics will also be available on the internet at http://multimedia.malone.edu/athletics/basketball/womens/xlive.htm.

Malone Wraps Up Season With 57-35 Victory In Offensive Shootout at Olivet Nazarene

The Malone University football team brought its 2009 campaign to a close in thrilling fashion on Saturday afternoon at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois as the squad racked up 669 yards of offense in a 57-35 Mid-States Football Association Mideast League victory.  The Pioneers trailed 16-13 at the end of the first quarter but then tallied four second-quarter TD’s to take a 41-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.  A field goal and touchdown pass allowed Malone’s advantage to swell to 50-28 midway through the third stanza before the Tigers cut into the deficit, trimming the Pioneer lead to 50-35 on a TD pass with just under a minute remaining in the period.  Olivet was unable to get any closer in the fourth quarter, however, as Malone running back Joe Peters (pictured above; Sr., Oakland, CA) cemented the win with a 26-yard touchdown run with just 1:49 remaining on the clock.  With the victory, the Pioneers concluded their season with a record of 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the MSFA Mideast while the Tigers dropped to 2-9 overall and 1-6 in league play.

In addition to the 92 points scored, the two squads also combined for 59 first downs (28 for Malone, 31 for ONU) and 1130 yards of total offense.  The Pioneers posted 266 rushing yards and 403 passing yards to account for its total output of 669 yards, marking the third-highest yardage total in the program’s history.  Olivet Nazarene countered with 53 yards on the ground and 408 yards through the air for 461 total yards.  Malone was penalized 15 times for 154 yards in the contest but also forced a season-high five turnovers.

The Pioneers set the tone early on in Saturday’s contest as, on the second play from scrimmage, redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Brohl (Almont, MI) hit freshman wide receiver Derrick McLean (Laurel Hill, NC) with a 73-yard touchdown pass.  The Tigers answered back on their ensuing possession, marching 73 yards on a seven-play TD drive to knot the score at 7-7. 

Peters made it 13-7 minutes later after scoring the first of his three rushing touchdowns on the day, this one from six yards out.  Olivet took some luster off the score, though, as the hosts blocked the extra point and returned it all the way to the end zone for two points, cutting the Pioneer lead to 13-9.

The Tigers then pulled ahead 16-13 at the 2:39 mark of the first quarter on a nine-yard TD pass from quarterback Nick Darland to wide receiver Aaron Swart.  Malone took the lead back on its opening drive of the second quarter when Brohl connected with junior wide receiver Jeff Perri (pictured left; Alameda, CA) on a four-yard pass, making the score 20-16.

The Pioneer lead then grew to 27-16 when junior running back Courtney Greer (Midland, TX) dashed across the goal line on a 22-yard rush with 11:05 remaining in the first half.  A nine-yard Darland TD pass to running back Marshall Fraley trimmed the Malone advantage to 27-22 (two-point conversion failed) before Peters found the end zone on a five-yard run, making the score 34-22.

The back-and-forth affair then continued as each team scored touchdowns on their next possessions.  Darland made it 34-28 with his fourth TD pass of the half, this one a 39-yard strike to wide out Andrew Butler (extra point blocked).  Brohl answered right back for the Pioneers, wrapping up the high-scoring first half with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Perri.

A 31-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Jake Hardy (Ortonville, MI) and a 47-yard TD pass from Brohl to Perri gave Malone a substantial 50-28 advantage with four minutes to play in the third quarter.  ONU pulled to within 50-35 with 58 seconds remaining in the third stanza on Darland’s fifth TD pass of the game, a 15-yard toss to Butler.  However, the Tigers were unable to get any closer before Peters put the game away with his late touchdown run. 

Brohl completed 23 of 37 pass attempts on the afternoon for a career-high 403 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.  McLean posted eight catches for 186 yards and one touchdown to go with three kickoff returns for 114 yards and one rush for 43 yards.  His 346 all-purpose yards in the contest (that included a three-yard loss on a punt return) marked a new Malone single-game record.  The impressive total also made a mark on the MSFA record book as it ranks as the second-highest total for all-purpose yards in MSFA history (The only player to post more yards in a single game was Terry Taylor, who piled up 400 all-purpose yards for Iowa Wesleyan University in 1999).  Perri also put together a stellar afternoon as he tallied seven catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns.

Peters gained 122 rushing yards on 14 carries (8.7 average) with three touchdowns while also pulling in four catches for 13 yards, returning two kickoffs for 60 yards and running back two punts for 17 yards.  With this strong afternoon, Peters moved his 2009 rushing total to 1048 yards, becoming just the fifth Pioneer to rush for 1000 yards in a single season (Bernard Payton rushed for 1637 yards in ’07, Joel Peterson gained 1165 yards in ’01, Eric Smith posted 1012 yards in ’04 and Dan DeGeorge gained 1003 yards in ‘94).  Greer also turned in a solid performance, gaining 105 rushing yards on 23 carries (4.6 average) with one TD to go with three pass receptions for 39 yards.

Defensive back Jon Latimer (pictured left; Sr., Dallas, TX) notched a team-high seven tackles to go with a pair of interceptions.  With the two picks, Latimer moved his 2009 total to six, breaking the Pioneer single-season record for interceptions (previous record of five was accomplished eight different times).   Linebacker K.P. Fonseca (Jr., Aiea, HI), linebacker Montana Russo (Jr. Monterey, CA) and defensive back Patrick O’Malley (Jr., Padua Franciscan H.S.) each followed with six stops apiece.  In addition to their tackle totals, Fonseca also notched one fumble recovery while Russo picked up a sack and forced a fumble.

Senior punter Mike Skvor (Long Beach, CA) averaged 37.7 yards on three punts with two of those kicks downed inside the 20.  Skvor ended an excellent senior year with an average of 42.0 yards per punt and 18 kicks downed inside the 20, both new Malone single-season records.

For Olivet Nazarene, Darland completed 36 of 66 pass attempts for 408 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.  Tight End David Scherer posted eight catches for 124 yards and one TD.  Fraley gained 49 rushing yards on seven carries while also pulling in eight catches for 83 yards and one score.  Linebacker Travis Powers paced the defense with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

Malone Notes:  The Pioneers and Tigers combined for 811 passing yards on Saturday which marked the highest combined single-game passing yardage total in Malone history…McLean’s 186 receiving yards marked the third-highest single-game total in school history (Josh Settlemire tallied 198 receiving yards  against Urbana University in 2005 and Derek Deardorff posted 187 against Northwestern College in the 2008 Victory Bowl).

Goshen Rallies In Second Half To Edge Malone, 72-70

The Malone University men’s basketball team endured a narrow 72-70 defeat on Saturday afternoon at Osborne Hall in its home opener against Goshen (IN) College as the Maple Leafs fought back from a 17-point second-half deficit to record the two-point victory.  After falling behind 48-31 five and a half minutes into the final frame, the Maple Leafs used a 22-5 scoring run midway through the second half to grab a 60-56 advantage.  Goshen took it largest lead of the afternoon at 71-66 with a little over a minute remaining and then held on for the two-point triumph.  The Maple Leafs improved to 3-2 on the season with the come-from-behind victory while Malone fell to 1-1.

The Pioneers led Saturday’s contest 36-27 at halftime after limiting Goshen to just 29.0% (nine of 31) shooting over the first 20 minutes of play.  Malone then outscored the Maple Leafs 12-4 over the first five and a half minutes of the second half before Goshen battled back to take the lead.  The Pioneers shot exactly 50% in both halves, making 25 of their 50 shots from the field on the afternoon, including six of 16 (37.5%) three-pointers.  After struggling to get their offense on track in the first half, the Maple Leafs knocked down 13 of 28 (46.4%) second-half field-goal attempts to end the day with a 37.3 shooting percentage (22 of 59).  22 of Goshen’s points in the contest came at the charity stripe as the visitors made 22 of 33 (66.7%) free throws on the afternoon.  The Maple Leafs also held a 39-34 advantage in total rebounds and forced 20 Malone turnovers.

Sophomore guard Eric Coblentz (Lake H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with 14 points.  Junior forward Vaso Aleksic (Bar, Montenegro) came off the bench to record his second consecutive double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.  Sophomore guard Jordan Lindesmith (Jackson H.S.) added 10 points while junior forward Ebiowei Porbeni (Plainfield, IL) and junior guard Kyle Higgins (Columbus West H.S.) each tossed in eight.

Canton native and GlenOak High School graduate Errick McCollum led the way for Goshen with 21 points.

The Pioneers will return to action on Thursday evening when they travel to the University of Findlay (0-0 overall) for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with the NCAA Division II Oilers.

Pioneers Conclude Play At Cedarville Classic With 73-63 Victory Over Wilberforce

The Malone University women’s basketball team wrapped up play at the Cedarville University Classic on Saturday afternoon with a 73-63 non-conference win against Wilberforce University.  The Pioneers closed out the first half on a 12-4 run to take a 45-35 lead into the locker room at intermission.  Malone then stretched its advantage to as many as 19 points in the second frame as it pulled away for the victory.  The Pioneers’ overall record improved to 2-2 with the 10-point triumph while the Bulldogs fell to 1-4.

Wilberforce jumped out to a 7-6 lead in the opening moments of Saturday’s neutral contest before Pioneer guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) tossed in six unanswered points to put her squad on top 12-7.  Malone would then not relinquish its lead over the remainder of the contest as it went on to shoot a season-high 45.1% (23 of 51) from the field while allowing Wilberforce to convert on just 25 of 74 (33.8%) field-goal attempts, including only three of 20 (15.0%) three-point tries. 

Kittle led all scorers with 20 points (6-16 FG, 0-3 3PT FG, 8-9 FT) to go with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.  Junior guard Allyson Wilson (Firestone H.S.) followed with 18 points and six rebounds while junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) and sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) each posted eight points apiece.

Center Deidra Brown led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points while forward Mohogany Williams came off the bench to post a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Following its 1-1 weekend at the Cedarville Classic, Malone will return to action on Tuesday as it hosts its home opener at 7:00 p.m. against NCAA Division II Ohio Valley University (0-0 overall).

Malone Men’s Cross Country Team Takes NCCAA Title; Women Grab Runner-Up Finish

The Malone men’s cross country team, ranked #2 in the NAIA, captured its fifth consecutive national team title at the NCCAA National Championships, held in Cedarville, Ohio on Saturday, while the Pioneer women’s team, ranked #5 in the NAIA, finished as national runners-up.  The Malone men finished first among a 23-team field while the women placed second among a 19-team field.

In the men’s standings, Malone finished with 36 points to easily defeat runner-up Cedarville, which had 70 points.  Indiana Wesleyan University took third with 89 points, King (TN) College placed fourth with 133 points and Olivet Nazarene (IL) University rounded out the top five with 164 points.

In the women’s standings, Cedarville won the team title with 40 points while Malone earned its runner-up position with 57 points.  Indiana Wesleyan was third with 99 points, Bethel (IN) College came in fourth with 129 points and King rounded out the top five with 157 points.

For the men, Malone placed four student-athletes in the top eight spots as Nick Meeson (Fr., Lakewood H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with a second-place overall finish in a time of 25:45.  Zach Mathias (So., Galion H.S.) placed third overall in 25:57, Tony Migliozzi (So., St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.) was fourth in 26:00 and Bryce Pulley (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) grabbed eighth in 26:28.  By virtue of their top 15 finishes, all four Pioneers earned NCAA All-America honors.  Jeremy Arthur (So., Medina H.S.) also scored for Malone and finished 19^th in 26:59.  Others who competed for Malone were Kyle Randolph (Jr., Galion H.S.), who placed 29^th in 27:23, and Nate Slaughter (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.), who finished 46^th in 28:22.  In addition, Malone head coach Jack Hazen was named the NCCAA National Men’s Coach of the Year.

For the women, Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) paced the team with a fourth-place finish overall in a time of 18:50 while Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) was close behind in sixth place in 18:55.  Brynn Chaskel (Fr., Liberty Benton H.S.), who placed seventh in 18:58, joined Bauer and Pifher as NCCAA All-Americans by virtue of their top 15 finishes.  Also scoring for Malone were Hannah Hartzler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 19^th (19:24) and Gabrielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 21^st (19:25).  Melissa Roth (So., Celina H.S.), who placed 32^nd in 19:52, and Kalie Hauenstein (Sr., Ashland H.S.), who finished 50^th in 20:42, also competed for the team.

Malone Opens Play At Cedarville Classic With 103-50 Loss To Host Yellow Jackets

The Malone University women’s basketball team suffered a 103-50 non-conference defeat at the Cedarville University Classic on Friday evening as the host Yellow Jackets, who were ranked 11th in the NAIA Division II Preseason Women’s Basketball Poll, pulled out to 20-5 lead and never looked back en route to the convincing victory.  In its season opener, Cedarville shot over 60% from the field, held a 42-20 advantage in total rebounds, and forced 28 Pioneer turnovers.

Malone, now 1-2 on the season, shot 41.3% (19 of 46) on the evening, hit four of 14 (28.6%) three-pointers while knocking down eight of 15 (53.3%) attempts from the foul line.  Cedarville countered by connecting on 44 of 73 (60.3%) shots from the field, five of 16 (31.3%) three-point attempts and 10 of 12 free throws (83.3%). 

Junior guard Ashley Speicher (Plymouth H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with 12 points, three assists and one block.  Junior guard Amy Kittle (Buckeye Trail H.S.) and junior forward Alison Schloz (St. Ursula Academy) each followed with eight points and three rebounds apiece while sophomore forward Kelly Anatra (Mansfield St. Peter’s H.S.) and freshman guard Cindy Netti (Lake H.S.) each finished with seven points.

Cedarville forward Lydia Miller tossed in 22 points to pace five Yellow Jackets in double figures. 

Malone continues play at the Cedarville Classic on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. contest against Wilberforce University (1-3 overall).