Butler County Today

Pioneers Earn Thrilling Come-From-Behind Win over Ashland

CANTON -- After three straight games on the road, the Malone University men's basketball team was back at home on Thursday night. 

The Pioneers welcomed the Ashland University Eagles to town for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup. 

Things looked bleak in the first half, but a gritty second-half defensive effort helped spark a huge comeback which led to an 80-78 Pioneer win. 

THE ESSENTIALS

• Final Score: Malone University Pioneers 80 - Ashland University Eagles 78
• Records: Malone (12-6, 7-5 G-MAC) | Ashland (12-7, 8-4 G-MAC)
• Location: Canton, Ohio | Osborne Hall

THE GAME

Ashland opened up the scoring with a layup on the first possession of the game. The Eagles maintained a lead for the next 36 minutes of the contest. 

The Pioneers were able to remain within a possession or two for much of the first half, but a late push by Ashland allowed the Eagles to carry a 44-31 lead into the halftime break. 

Less than two minutes into the second half AU went up 48-33, their largest lead of the night. 

After weathering a brief MU run, the Eagles once again were up fifteen points (62-47) with just 12:42 left to play in the game. 

Slowly but surely the Pioneers began to chip away at the deficit. 

A layup by Levi Seiler brought Malone within single digits, at 62-53 with 10:53 left to play. 

That layup was actually part of a 10-0 Pioneer run that was capped off by an emphatic Justin Miller dunk to make it 62-57 with 7:42 remaining. 

All told, from the 14:17 mark til the 1:53 mark in the second half, Malone's defense limited Ashland to just six total points. 

That massive effort on the defensive end was just what the Pioneers needed to finally take a lead. 

Bo Myers tied the game at 64-64 with 3:51 left to play.

After a Levi Seiler steal, Justin Miller connected on a three-pointer that sent Osborne Hall into a frenzy, and gave Malone their first lead of the night. 

The Pioneers stretched their lead out to as many as eight points, before holding off Ashland's late comeback attempt. 

Ultimately Malone outscored Ashland 49-34 in the second half to come-from-behind and earn the 80-78 win.

DETAILS

• For the third time this season Justin Miller crossed the thirty point threshold. His game-high 32 points came up just one shy of tying his career high. 
• Bo Myers finished with 17 points on 7-16 shooting from the field. He tied Miller for the team lead in rebounds with 6. 
• Levi Seiler was the only other Pioneer to score in double digits. He finished with 15. 
• Malone's defense forced Ashland into 12 turnovers which led to 17 points on the other end of the floor. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Malone heads back out on the road for three straight games. First up is a trip to Cedarville on Saturday. 

Tip-off against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS

To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Malone University athletic programs this year follow the Pioneers on Twitter and Instagram, like Malone University Athletics on Facebook or visit www.malonepioneers.com.

Original source can be found here.