TIFFIN, Ohio - Tiffin fought valiantly against torrid shooting from the visiting Malone squad on Monday, but the Dragons could not quite come all the way back from an early deficit as the Pioneers held on for a wild 99-94 win.
The first-half was particularly hard to comprehend as Malone made their first 13 shots in a row, including five threes, and would go on to score 62 points in the period on 72.2% (26-36) shooting from the field. Tiffin also tallied 44 points in the opening half on 54.5% shooting, normally a very good output for the first twenty minutes but resulting in an 18-point deficit against the Pioneers.
Malone ended up shooting 60.3% from the field for the game and 50% from deep, while Tiffin converted at a 52.2% clip from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Tiffin was solid from the free throw line, going 12-15 (80%) for a higher clip than Malone, but the Pioneers were able to make more as they went 15-27 from the line.
Two players had over 20 points for Tiffin, led by Joshua Williams' season-high of 29. Jairus Stevens added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas Hickman had 13 points off the bench. Eric Turner had his best game of the season after coming back recently from injury, making three triples for nine points along with four rebounds.
As mentioned, Malone's start could not have been hotter as the visitors took a 33-12 lead before missing their first shot of the game at the 11:02 mark. The Pioneers led by as many as 21 in a dominant opening half, capped by a three at the buzzer from Jaret Majestic to put Malone up 18 at the break.
Malone kept the advantage in that range for the first four minutes of the second half, still holding a 20-point lead, 73-53, at the 15:32 mark. Tiffin then started chipping away with a few consecutive defensive stops and a 10-0 run that included six points from Stevens.
Tiffin could not seem to get the deficit into single digits, though, repeatedly pulling within 10 or 12 only to have Malone answer with small runs of their own. The Dragons still trailed by 13, 92-79, with less than three minutes to play, but Tiffin did not go away quietly.
A Josh Williams jumper and back-to-back triples from Hickman and Trent Williams in a one-minute span spurred a quick 8-0 run for Tiffin that cut the deficit to just five, 92-87, with 1:35 to play. The Pioneers were able to make their free throws, however, pulling back out to a seven-point lead before Josh Williams cut it to four on a triple with 27 seconds left.
After a TU foul, Malone went just 1-2 from the line to keep it to a five-point game, but the Dragons were unable to convert on the ensuing possession and the Pioneers ran out the clock as the comeback attempt fell just short.
The Dragons will now have a pair of nonconference games at Urbana and Southern Indiana this weekend before taking two weeks off for the holiday break.