Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
4-7
Temple
5-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 33 | 42 | 75 |
| Ball State | 36 | 34 | 70 |
Temple Uses 15-Point Run To Defeat Cardinals
December 18, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Despite Ball State holding a 52-48 lead with under 10 minutes to play in Tuesday night's game at Worthen Arena, the visiting Temple Owls rattled off 15 consecutive points during a four-minute stretch to escape Muncie with a 75-70 victory.
The loss drops Ball State to 4-7 overall, while Temple improved to 5-3 on the season.
"Temple out-played us over the last 10 minutes of the game," said BSU head coach Ronny Thompson. "Unfortunately, we didn't finish the game. When a boxer has his opponent on the ropes, he has to throw that knockout punch. We didn't do that tonight."
The 15-point Temple run was sparked by a three-point field goal from Semaj Inge at the 8:54 mark and ended with a pair of free throws from Dion Dacons with 5:50 on the clock. It was the first double-figure margin of the game for the Owls.
"We relaxed on some possessions at the end of the game and you can't do that when you are playing a team like Temple," Thompson said. "Our guys fought hard and played well in stretches, but we didn't hit free throws and we turned the ball over too many times."
Skip Mills tried to ignite a Ball State comeback in the final five minutes as he scored five straight points to pull BSU within six at 63-57 with 4:43 on the clock.
The Owls answered every BSU shot in the final four minutes and extended the lead back to 11 points with under a minute to play. A three from Peyton Stovall as time expired accounted for the 75-70 final.
"It came down to who wanted it more tonight," Stovall said. "We made some mistakes on the defensive end and didn't execute to our potential on the offensive end."
Throughout much of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half, the outcome looked anything like a Temple victory. The Cardinals quickly built a 10-point lead after a three from Mills at the 11:49 mark in the first half.
Ball State held a 23-9 lead at the 9:22 mark, before Temple started to chip away at the lead. The Cardinals held a 36-33 advantage at halftime.
Stovall scored a season-high 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including five three-point field goals. D'Andre Peyton finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Mills recorded 13 points and seven boards.
Anthony Newell's streak of double-figure scoring games was snapped at 10, scoring just two points but grabbing nine rebounds against the Owls.
The Cardinals return to action with a road game Friday in "Music City USA" against Tennessee State. The tip in Nashville is slated for 7 p.m. (8 p.m. Muncie).
