Ball State University Athletics
The Nest Erupts After BSU Victory; Cardinals Win MAC Thriller Over Bowling Green
January 21, 2006 | Men's Basketball
"You never want to throw out comparisons, but he reminds me a lot of that guy at Eastern Michigan," said Buckley, referring to 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins, who now plays for the NBA's Denver Nuggets. "He is as tough a competitor as I've ever been around, and his progress as a point guard and a basketball player has happened very quickly."
Acker scored in double figures for the fourth straight game Saturday, pouring in 19 points and handing out six assists. Ball State (5-8, 1-5 MAC) beat Bowling Green (7-9, 3-3 MAC) 62-61 to snap a string of seven consecutive losses.
However, Saturday's victory was as much a team effort as the Cardinals have had this season. Nine players logged at least 12 minutes, and Ball State received solid play from its bench.
Anthony Newell sparked the Cardinals off the bench with eight first-half points on his way to 10 for the night. Landon Adler added five points and grabbed seven rebounds and hit a jumper with six minutes to play that gave Ball State its first lead of the second half.
"Newell and Adler were building for this moment," Buckley said. "I think they had reached the point where they said, ‘Whatever you want us to do, we'll do it. We want to help this team win.' That's the kind of consistency we're looking for."
Skip Mills quietly put up solid numbers again. Despite constant pressure from Bowling Green's defense, Mills finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. He now has scored in double figures in 22 consecutive games.
"Everyone's just tired of losing games when we feel like we should be winning," Mills said. "We've just got to make plays, and that's what it comes down to."
Down the stretch against Bowling Green, the Cardinals did exactly that.
After Adler gave Ball State the lead at 50-49, Acker knifed through the lane and connected on a runner to extend the lead to three points. Acker scored 14 of his points in the second half. His aggressive play throughout the game also got him to the free throw line, where he made 10-of-11 attempts.
"He fouled out two of my guys," Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich said. "Everybody else who tried to guard him had four fouls, so that's pretty good work for a freshman."
Mills gave Ball State its biggest lead at 58-52 on a jumper with 3:52 to play, and the Cardinals made just enough free throws down the stretch to earn the win.
Two Mills free throws gave Ball State a 62-58 lead with four seconds to play, and Bowling Green's Steven Wright threw in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Falcons within a point.
Wright led Bowling Green with 16 points, and Martin Samarco had 15.
Ball State returns to action Tuesday for a home contest against Central Michigan. The game tips at 7 p.m.
