The Malone University men’s basketball team registered a 73-56
American Mideast Conference win at home on Saturday evening over
Shawnee State University after limiting the visiting Bears to just 15
made field goals on 31.9% (15 of 47) shooting from the floor. The
Pioneers held Shawnee State to just six points over the first 11 and a
half minutes of play and then used a 16-3 run midway through the second
stanza to put the contest out of reach. The win keeps Malone in solid
contention for one of the AMC’s seven playoff spots and improves the
squad’s record to 9-16 overall and 5-4 in the conference. Shawnee
State entered Saturday’s game having posted impressive victories over
Cedarville University and the University of Rio Grande in its last two
road contests, but the Bears were unable to extend their road winning
streak, falling to 9-16 overall and 3-7 in the AMC with the defeat.
The Pioneers led 20-6 midway through the opening stanza and then
extended their advantage to 34-15 later in the frame before Shawnee
State trimmed the margin to 34-28 at intermission after outscoring
Malone 13-0 over the final three minutes of the first half. The Bears
got no closer than six in the second period, however, as the Pioneers
regained the momentum, stretching their lead to as many as 20 points en
route to 73-56 triumph.
Malone shot the ball well throughout the evening, connecting on 27
of 52 (51.9%) field goal attempts, five of 14 (35.7%) three-pointers,
and 14 of 17 (82.4%) free throws. Shawnee State also had success at
the charity stripe, sinking 23 of 31 (74.2%) attempts from the foul
line, but the visitors struggled from the three-point arc, converting
on just three of 13 (23.1%) threes. On the evening, each team tallied
17 turnovers and 32 total rebounds. Center Ted Lawver (Jr., CVCA) came
off the bench to pace the Pioneers with a game-high 19 points and two
blocked shots. Guard Jeremy Duerr (Jr., Lake H.S.) followed with 15
points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Forward Jock
Rottman (So., Triway H.S.) added 14 points, four boards, three assists,
and two steals, while forward Jarrod Ferwerda (Sr., Lake H.S.) and
guard Mike Kaisk (Fr., Akron Springfield H.S.) both contributed nine
points and four rebounds apiece.
Malone will return to action on Tuesday at home with another
important AMC match-up against the University of Northwestern Ohio
(14-12 overall, 6-3 AMC).
Playoff Picture: The 14-team American Mideast
Conference, which is competing in a one-division format this year as
opposed to last season’s two-division setup, will receive two automatic
bids to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The AMC’s
regular-season champion will receive the conference’s first automatic
bid. The second national-tourney berth will be awarded to the winner
of the six-team AMC Postseason Tournament which will consist of
finishers two through seven in the final regular-season standings.
Finishers two and three will receive first-round byes and will host the
tournament’s second-round competitions.
With four AMC contests remaining on its schedule (Northwestern
Ohio, Ohio Dominican University, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, and
Daemen College), Malone is currently in a three-way tie with Daemen
(NY) College and Notre Dame (OH) College for fifth place in the
standings with a 5-4 conference record.