Missed Opportunities: Cedarville falls to Malone in a nail-biter

By Emily Tuttle

Fighting back and forth with only seconds remaining, Cedarville utilized their timeouts to draw up plays and substitute the right player for each scenario. Their game plan was intact, but their failure to secure defensive rebounds allowed this plan to slip out of their fingers on a night when Cedarville narrowly fell to Malone University, 59-57.

The Cedarville Men’s Basketball team (7-5) lost a physical battle to Malone (5-8) despite holding the lead for over half the game, their largest being 11. The Jackets started the evening on a 9-0 run and looked head and shoulders better than their competition. Malone couldn’t buy a bucket in the first half and had to rely on points in the paint to score. 

But in the second half, Cedarville struggled to put the ball in the hoop.

“On the offensive end, we went dry.” Coach Rob Jones said. “We needed to be able to counter.” 

Malone built a seven point lead during this Cedarville drought, and the Jackets dug themselves into a hole that they struggled in vain to grapple out of. Their offense often was messy, and they allowed Malone to score nine points off turnovers when the ball clumsily fell through Cedarville’s hands or was punched away by a defender. 

But Malone’s offense did not look much prettier. They had 12 turnovers to Cedarville’s 11 and matched the Jackets’ fouls with 18. Malone struggled from deep, shooting a mere 22% in the first half, and turned to the paint to earn buckets with their bodies. 

“We needed to do a little bit better job at keeping the ball out of the paint in that stretch,” Jones said. 

Malone’s penetration to the hoop necessitated help defense from Cedarville, leaving a shooter wide open behind the arc for an easy shot. 

The halftime performance from the Troy Pop Rockets jump rope team provided the most energy the gym had seen all evening, and the girls’ impressive tricks gave the crowd more life than the men could.

With both teams’ less-than-stellar performance and futile physicality, the win was anyone’s for the taking. 

“Victory was on the table,” Jones said.

And down the stretch, though down anywhere from six to two points, the men looked like they may be victorious. The Jackets provided key stops but could not pair them with a bucket on the other side of the floor. Ethan Sellers continued to give his team a breath of fresh air, fighting hard on both sides of the ball with 16 points and a vital steal. Similarly, Tymoteusz Pszczola, the Jackets leading scorer with 19, propelled his team forward by squaring up at the top of the key for a three or bodying his way through the paint and finishing with a hook shot. 

Malone even got into a bit of foul trouble late, sending Cedarville to the line, and they hoped to chip away at Malone’s lead. But the men could not even make the free baskets. They set themselves up for failure, shooting 33% from the stripe through the first before improving to 81% in the second. Still, their chance of victory grew further away with every missed foul shot, paving the road to defeat. 

“I wish we would’ve capitalized on some of those opportunities we had,” Jones said. 

A defeated crowd left Callan Athletic Center on Thursday night, January 9, after the two-point loss while the team must quickly regroup for their upcoming road trip against G-MAC leader Hillsdale. 

“We’re a work in progress,” Jones said. “We’re going to continue to learn and continue to grow.”

Emily Tuttle is a sophomore journalism major and the sports editor for Cedars. She is passionate about Philly sports, weight lifting, and all things silly

Photo by Ian Chan