Tuesday, January 16
Muncie, Ind.
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
12-6, 3-2MAC
82
vs
76
Central Michigan
12-6, 1-4MAC
1
2
F
Central Michigan
31
45
76
Ball State
37
45
82
Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services
Men’s Hoops Gets Past Pesky Central Michigan, 82-76
January 16, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals win behind 21 from Tyler, all-around game from Persons
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Senior guard Jeremie Tyler led five scorers in double figures with 21 points Tuesday as the Ball State men's basketball team defeated Central Michigan 82-76 at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (12-6, 3-2 MAC) improved to 9-1 at home this season, while Central Michigan (12-6, 1-4 MAC) dropped its fourth straight.
Head Coach James Whitford on the Win
"I thought it was a really hard-fought game. I credit Central Michigan. I thought they really competed. They play with great effort, they're a really together team, and I really enjoy watching them play. It was a hard game, and I thought it was a good win for us. We defended well in the first half. They got going a little bit in the second half. They're certainly capable of doing that. But good win for us."
Inside the Numbers
• Tyler matched his career high with five 3-pointers, going 5 for 10 from beyond the arc, on his way to a season-high 21 points off the bench. He had a steal and dunk plus a blocked shot that led to a run-out in the closing minutes to help keep Ball State out in front.
• Trey Moses recorded his third double-double in MAC play and his fifth in the past eight games with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The junior big man was 5 for 6 from the free throw line.
• Junior point guard Tayler Persons finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He was a pair of assists and rebounds away from Ball State's first triple-double since Bonzi Wells in 1998.
• Sean Sellers (11 points) and Tahjai Teague (10) rounded out the double-figure scorers. Sellers, who hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range, was presented a commemorative ball before the game for surpassing 1,000 career points Saturday at Western Michigan.
• Ball State hit 17 of 28 shots after halftime to finish at 50 percent for the game. Central Michigan shot just 36.1 percent, marking BSU's best defensive night against a Division I opponent this season. That performance helped the Cardinals overcome a 47-35 deficit on the glass and 21 CMU offensive rebounds.
• Led by Tyler's 21, the Ball State bench outscored Central Michigan's bench 36-8.
Whitford on his team's ball movement: "Tonight we needed to get the ball inside to Trey and Tahjai. That was a big theme in the game. I thought those guys did a very good job. When Central Michigan didn't double team, they figured it out and got good shots. When they did double, they got the ball out and we were able to get it around and let the right guy take the shot."
How It Happened
• Ball State led for more than 36 minutes of Tuesday's game and trailed for just 68 seconds. The Cardinals took the lead for good on a Tyler 3-pointer at the 10:24 mark of the first half.
• BSU held a 37-31 advantage at halftime and never saw its lead shrink to fewer than four points in the second half. The Cardinals took their largest lead at 54-42 on another Tyler 3 with 12:15 left in the game.
• The Cardinals withstood 23 points and six 3-pointers in the second half from Central Michigan's 6-foot-10 Luke Meyer. Meyer finished with game-highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds.
• David DiLeo and Josh Kozinski entered the game as the Chippewas' top 3-point shooting threats, but Ball State held them to a combined 1-for-10 from deep. CMU ended the night 10 of 30 as a team from the 3-point line.
Whitford on the Cardinals' 3-point defense: "We have not defended the 3 well, and we needed to in this game. The fact that we held (DiLeo and Kozinski) to 10 attempts between the two of them was a really good sign for us."
Up Next
• Ball State will play four of its next five games on the road, starting Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. tipoff at Miami in Oxford, Ohio. The Cardinals' next home game comes Jan. 27 against Akron with a noon tip on CBS Sports Network.
The Cardinals (12-6, 3-2 MAC) improved to 9-1 at home this season, while Central Michigan (12-6, 1-4 MAC) dropped its fourth straight.
Head Coach James Whitford on the Win
"I thought it was a really hard-fought game. I credit Central Michigan. I thought they really competed. They play with great effort, they're a really together team, and I really enjoy watching them play. It was a hard game, and I thought it was a good win for us. We defended well in the first half. They got going a little bit in the second half. They're certainly capable of doing that. But good win for us."
Inside the Numbers
• Tyler matched his career high with five 3-pointers, going 5 for 10 from beyond the arc, on his way to a season-high 21 points off the bench. He had a steal and dunk plus a blocked shot that led to a run-out in the closing minutes to help keep Ball State out in front.
• Trey Moses recorded his third double-double in MAC play and his fifth in the past eight games with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The junior big man was 5 for 6 from the free throw line.
• Junior point guard Tayler Persons finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He was a pair of assists and rebounds away from Ball State's first triple-double since Bonzi Wells in 1998.
• Sean Sellers (11 points) and Tahjai Teague (10) rounded out the double-figure scorers. Sellers, who hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range, was presented a commemorative ball before the game for surpassing 1,000 career points Saturday at Western Michigan.
• Ball State hit 17 of 28 shots after halftime to finish at 50 percent for the game. Central Michigan shot just 36.1 percent, marking BSU's best defensive night against a Division I opponent this season. That performance helped the Cardinals overcome a 47-35 deficit on the glass and 21 CMU offensive rebounds.
• Led by Tyler's 21, the Ball State bench outscored Central Michigan's bench 36-8.
Whitford on his team's ball movement: "Tonight we needed to get the ball inside to Trey and Tahjai. That was a big theme in the game. I thought those guys did a very good job. When Central Michigan didn't double team, they figured it out and got good shots. When they did double, they got the ball out and we were able to get it around and let the right guy take the shot."
How It Happened
• Ball State led for more than 36 minutes of Tuesday's game and trailed for just 68 seconds. The Cardinals took the lead for good on a Tyler 3-pointer at the 10:24 mark of the first half.
• BSU held a 37-31 advantage at halftime and never saw its lead shrink to fewer than four points in the second half. The Cardinals took their largest lead at 54-42 on another Tyler 3 with 12:15 left in the game.
• The Cardinals withstood 23 points and six 3-pointers in the second half from Central Michigan's 6-foot-10 Luke Meyer. Meyer finished with game-highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds.
• David DiLeo and Josh Kozinski entered the game as the Chippewas' top 3-point shooting threats, but Ball State held them to a combined 1-for-10 from deep. CMU ended the night 10 of 30 as a team from the 3-point line.
Whitford on the Cardinals' 3-point defense: "We have not defended the 3 well, and we needed to in this game. The fact that we held (DiLeo and Kozinski) to 10 attempts between the two of them was a really good sign for us."
Up Next
• Ball State will play four of its next five games on the road, starting Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. tipoff at Miami in Oxford, Ohio. The Cardinals' next home game comes Jan. 27 against Akron with a noon tip on CBS Sports Network.
Team Stats
CMU
BSU
FG%
.361
.500
3FG%
.333
.370
FT%
.737
.700
RB
47
35
TO
13
14
STL
7
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballMen's Basketball // Armoni Zeigler
Wednesday, September 10
Men's Basketball // Armoni Zeigler - Heart of the Cardinal Podcast
Tuesday, September 09
Men's Basketball // Jai Anthoni Bearden
Wednesday, August 20
Men's Basketball // Jai Anthoni Bearden - Heart of the Cardinal Podcast
Wednesday, August 20