Ball State University Athletics
Ball State Falls To Tennessee State 70-69 In Final :0.7 Seconds
February 18, 2006 | Men's Basketball
The visiting Tigers erased the deficit and tied the score at 69 on a dunk from Larry Turner with 2:29 on the clock and it appeared the two teams were poised for overtime as neither team converted in the final two minutes.
However, Maurice Acker was whistled for a foul with :0.7 seconds on the clock on a three-point field goal attempt from TSU's Reiley Ervin.
Ervin hit the first free throw, missed the second and intentionally missed the third to escape Worthen Arena with a 70-69 win.
"I thought Maurice was there defensively," said BSU head coach Tim Buckley in reference to the final play. "Very rarely do you see a game end like that. You most definitely want to challenge shots. Unfortunately for us, we should not have let the game come down to a play like that at the end."
The win improves TSU to 11-14 overall, while Ball State drops to 9-14 overall. The Cardinals return to Mid-American Conference play with a 7 p.m. home contest Wednesday against Western Michigan.
Saturday's first meeting between the two schools featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes. After trailing 31-28 at halftime, a three-point field goal from freshman Jalon Perryman pulled the Cardinals with two points, while a long-range three from Acker gave BSU a 36-35 lead at the 17:46 mark.
Trailing 44-43, Anthony Newell hit the first of three consecutive three-point field goals to stretch BSU's lead 52-47 with 12:02 on the clock, while a pair of free throws from D'Andre Peyton with 8:05 remaining gave BSU the first of two seven-point leads in the final eight minutes.
The Tigers cut the margin to 63-62 with six minutes to go, before a bucket from Newell sparked six straight BSU points – all from the free throw line – to set up the 69-62 and final four minute drama.
Newell finished with a career-high 20 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 mark from three-point range. He also logged career-highs in field goals made and minutes played.
"It was just confidence," Newell said. "After you make the first couple, then the rim looks bigger."
Newell was the only Cardinal in double figures, although five others were close. Skip Mills and Charles Bass each finished with nine points, while Peyton added eight. Acker and Landon Adler, who also grabbed a team-best five rebounds, finished with seven points.
