Box Score Tiffin, Ohio - Malone outscored Lewis, 38-30, in the second half to comeback and defeat the Lewis University men's basketball team, 66-61, on day one of the GLVC/GMAC Crossover, hosted by Tiffin University. Today marked the first game of the regular season for both teams as well.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Emmanuel Oladeru led Malone with 16 points while Josiah Pierre notched a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double to begin the 2025-26 campaign. Pierre also paced the Pioneers in assists with five as well. As a team, Malone shot 24-of-53 (.453) from the floor and was 14-of-17 (.824) from the free-throw line.
In his Lewis debut,
Collin Albert (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran Highschool East) led the way with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor while adding in a team-best four assists.
Arius Alijosius (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) and
Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) chipped in 14 points each, with Alijosius knocking down a trio of 3-pointers as well, while
Drew Fisher (Los Angeles, Calif./Crespi Carmelite High School) notched 11 scores of his own. Hall and Fisher each had five boards while Hall also notched five blocks, more than Malone had as a team combined (2). Lewis shot 22-of-56 (.393) from the field and only 12-of-18 (.667) from the free-throw line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Down 22-20 late in a back-and-forth first half, the Flyers gained some breathing room as a Komissarov jumper kicked-off a 9-2 spurt that gave Lewis a 29-22 cushion with 1:29 left in the opening frame. Both sides traded buckets to the halftime whistle with Lewis entering the locker room ahead, 31-28.
Out of the halftime break, the Pioneers flipped the script as they rattled off 10 of the first 15 points of the second stanza to reclaim the lead, 38-36, with 15:52 to play. Lewis responded with a 9-4 spurt of their own, paced by five points from Hall, to jump back ahead, 45-42, with 10:47 on the clock. The red and white's advantage was short lived as the Patriots took the lead for good as a Crew Cain jumped served as the starter for a 10-3 run that put Malone ahead, 53-48.
Despite a late 9-3 Lewis rally, capped by a pair of Albert free-throws, that brought the score to within three, 64-61, Malone staved off the Flyers push and held on to win, 66-61.
GAME NOTES
- A slew of Flyers made their debuts today with Alijosius, Hall, Fisher, Albert, John McCrear (Detroit, Mich./Woodford County), Reid Loewen (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada/CTA West) and Timofei Komissarov (St. Petersburg, Russia/GUTID) all taking the court in a Lewis jersey for the first time
- Today marked the fifth all-time meeting between Lewis and Malone. Despite the loss, Lewis still leads the all-time series, 4-1.
- There was only nine total 3-pointers as Lewis knocked down 5-of-17 triples while Malone went 4-of-14 from beyond the arc.
- Halls five blocks are the most since Frank Vukaj had six against Illinois Springfield on Jan. 28, 2017.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will face the host Tiffin Dragons tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in the final game of the GLVC/GMAC Crossover.
For the latest news and updates on Lewis men's basketball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @lewisflyersmbb on Instagram and @Lewismball on X.
