Men's Basketball Wins at Eastern Michigan in Overtime
March 04, 2006 | Men's Basketball
After falling behind 65-57 with six minutes to play in regulation, Ball State rallied to tie the game at 72-72 at the end of regulation and forced an overtime period.
"It's huge," Skip Mills says about the win. "What happened today is what we have been waiting for. We did not go away, we kept fighting, everyone came together for a big win."
In the overtime, Jalon Perryman hit a three pointer in Ball State's first possession, followed by a Mills' three to put the Cardinals ahead 78-72. Maurice Acker hit a pair of field goals and Mills added a bucket with 2:33 left to give Ball State a commanding 84-74 edge in the extra period.
"We changed our focus midway through the second half," BSU head coach Tim Buckley says. "I think it changed the game. Skip took it upon himself today and did a great job of leading our team."
Mills led Ball State with 34 points plus added five assists and five steals, while Acker tallied 15 points, six assists and three steals. Perryman contributed 16 points, five boards, three assists and one steal. Chris Ames led the Cardinals with seven rebounds plus added three steals and one assist.
Mills scored 18 of his 34 points, including four three-point field goals, in the first 20 minutes of action to help Ball State to a 38-38 tie at the halfway mark.
"We did an excellent job in transition," Buckley says. "We shot a high percentage from the field and played with more energy than we have in a while."
Ball State connected on 46 percent of its shots in the game, including making 7-of-8 field goals in the extra period. The Cardinals made 56 percent of its three point field goals in the contest, including 6-of-10 in the first half and all three in the overtime.
With the win, Ball State improves to 10-17 overall and ends the regular-season with a 6-12 conference mark. Eastern Michigan fell to 7-20 overall and 3-15 in league play.
Ball State will travel to Buffalo as the No. 9 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and will play a first-round game Monday against the eighth-seeded Bulls.