(CANTON, Ohio) - Lake Erie men's basketball (4-12, 4-12 G-MAC) found themselves on the outside looking in for the final playoff spot on Thursday night against Malone (13-6, 12-5 G-MAC). The Pioneers reduced the chances for the Storm in a 94-75 victory in Canton. 

Senior guard Harrison Riggs scored a team-high 17 points and four assists while senior guard Jeramie Burge added 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

At the start of the game, both teams traded baskets but neither team could maintain the momentum. Malone took control first going on a 10-0 run and held a 23-13 halfway through the first half. Lake Erie would then go on a run that matched the Pioneers and in a five-minute span, the Storm would take a 27-26 lead. Malone closed out the first half shooting 48.6 percent and went into the locker room with the score favoring the Pioneers 36-32. 

Jacob Plantz, Leon Hughes, and Burge each provided a spark on the offensive end for the Storm early in the second half that later turned into a 57-56. Malone produced a 13-0 lead with just over five minutes in the game. Jonny Manning would end the scoring drought for the Storm with a made layup at the 5:21 mark. 

Malone held a shooting cling from three-point range in the second half outshooting the Storm 81.8 percent to 31.3 percent. Lake Erie finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field with 16 bench points. Thursday's night match featured 14 lead changes and eight ties. 

Lake Erie men's basketball will close out the 2020-21 season with back-to-back games against Walsh starting on Saturday at 3:00 pm in North Canton.