Box Score NORTH CANTON, Ohio - For the second time in the last three matchups, the Walsh Cavaliers and Malone Pioneers set up an entertaining finish for the fans. The men's basketball team made a furious rally on Saturday (Feb. 6) but fell 76-74 on a late second layup at Alumni Arena.
- Score: Malone 76, Walsh 74
- Location: North Canton, Ohio (Alumni Arena)
- Records: Malone 5-5 (4-4), Walsh 7-3 (7-3)
The Short Story: Malone took the early lead and never looked back for the first half. The Pioneers led by as many as 27 (44-17) with 4:29 left in the first half. Walsh trailed 48-30 at the halftime break. The Cavaliers continued to chip away at the Pioneers lead in the second half. Over a four minute span, Walsh used a 12-0 run to pull within six, 50-44 with 13:51 left. At the 5:20 mark, Walsh was behind 65-63 before Malone went on an 8-0 run to lead by 10 with 2:10 remaining. An 11-1 run by Walsh, capped with a Christian Montague three, tied the game at 74 with 41 seconds left. Malone broke the tie with a layup in the closing seconds, as they defeated the Cavaliers 76-74.
OPENING TIP
- Christian Montague finished with a game-high 25 points, including 18 in the second half with the game-tying three in the final minute. He made ten-of-17 shots, with four three pointers. He added three assists and three rebounds.
- Darryl Straughter was the second player in double-figures with 16 points as well as 12 points from three-point land.
- Luke Howes had nine points and four assists while Caleb Canter ended with six points and eight rebounds.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Walsh shot 51.5% (17-33) in the second half as they outscored the Pioneers 44-28 in the second half.
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
- Both teams finished with the exact shooting percentage, 46% as each team was 29-of-63 from the floor.
- Bryce Butler, who hit the game-winning layup, and Bo Myers each led the Pioneers with 17 points for Malone.
NOTABLE
- This was only the 3rd loss to Malone in the D2 era, with two of them coming in the last year.
NEXT UP
-WC-
