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For the first time since Feb. 8, 2014, the Grand Valley State men's basketball team dropped a game on its home floor. The Lakers were topped by a strong shooting effort from Malone on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10), as the Pioneers made 10 three-pointers in the 81-61 road victory.

GVSU had won its first five home games this year and seven straight dating back to last season, but were unable to extend the winning streak on Saturday. The Lakers are now 8-6 overall and 4-4 in GLIAC play. Malone snapped an eight-game losing streak to improve to 4-10 on the year, with a 2-6 conference record. It was also Malone's first victory over Grand Valley State in five tries.

The entire game turned in a 3:08 stretch late in the first half when Malone extended a 12-10 lead by scoring the next 14 points to up the advantage to 26-10 with 3:43 remaining in the stanza. Pioneer guard Nate Sheppard came off the bench and connected on back-to-back-to-back three-pointers in a 35-second barrage that stunned the Laker fans and turned the ballgame completely in Malone's favor.

Two late triples from MU freshman Ben Haraway sent the Pioneers into halftime with a 34-17 cushion. In the opening half, Malone shot 47.6 percent from the field and made 6-of-12 three-pointers, while the Lakers connected on 21.4 percent of their attempts.

Junior forward Ricardo Carbajal, who scored the opening bucket of the game and gave GVSU its only lead at 2-0, totaled six points and eight rebounds in the first half. The Lakers were 0-for-7 from three-point range in the half.

Malone extended its advantage to as many as 29 points - the Lakers' largest deficit this season - as Grand Valley State chipped away and was able to get within 18 on a couple of occasions. The Pioneers, who entered the game shooting 42.1 percent from the field - the second-lowest percentage in the GLIAC - finished the game at 54.8 percent. Both teams attempted 20 three-pointers; Malone made half of their attempts, while the Lakers sank just three.

Sophomore Luke Ryskamp netted 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. He was inserted into the starting lineup on Saturday and responded with aggressiveness, going 9-for-13 at the free throw line. Senior guard Ryan Sabin made all six free throw tries and scored 12 points. Carbajal led all players with 11 rebounds, while freshman Sam McClendon scored eight points and recorded three steals.

GVSU heads up north next weekend. The Lakers travel to Marquette on Thursday (Jan. 15) to face Northern Michigan at 7:30 p.m. before matching up with Michigan Tech at 2:00 p.m on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) in Houghton.