Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
6-12, 2-3MAC
Central Michigan
7-10, 2-3MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 29 | 35 | 64 |
| Central Michigan | 25 | 32 | 57 |
Stovall & Mills Lead BSU To MAC Win At Central Michigan
January 20, 2007 | Men's Basketball
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- Behind 17 points each from Peyton Stovall and Skip Mills, the Ball State men's basketball team recorded its second straight Mid-American Conference victory with a 64-57 decision Friday at Central Michigan.
The win improves Ball State to 6-12 overall and 2-3 in the league, while CMU fell to 7-10 overall and 2-3 in the MAC.
"I think we are becoming more familiar with ourselves and understanding what we are doing," says first-year BSU head coach Ronny Thompson. "The thing I am proud of is that we are being unselfish. We are using our second, third and fourth options on offense, and as a coach, that's exciting to see."
Stovall and Chris Ames sparked the Cardinals to open Friday's contest at Rose Arena. The two each scored eight points in the first half en route to a 29-25 BSU lead at the intermission.
Central Michigan's Giordan Watson, who scored CMU's first five points in the second half, drilled a three-point field goal just 15 seconds into the second stanza to cut the BSU lead to 29-28.
After a back-and-forth first 10 minutes, Mills connected on a long-range bomb of his own to push the BSU lead to 48-38 with 9:45 on the clock.
Stovall then stole the CMU in-bounds pass seconds later and converted a twisting layup to push the Cardinals ahead 50-38.
Ball State built its biggest lead of 13 points three times in the final six minutes of the game, before a late CMU run accounted for the 64-57 final.
In addition to the 17 points from Stovall and Mills, a trio of Cardinals chipped in eight points apiece. Ames, D'Andre Peyton and Anthony Newell each scored eight points, while Newell led the rebounding charge with nine boards.
Watson and Marko Spica each scored 17 points for the Chippewas, while Jordan Bitzer added 11.
"It feels good, but we can't relax," Stovall said. "We know we have a lot of work left to do and a lot of games left to play. Tonight was a total team effort. If we continue to play like this, we know good things can happen."
Ball State returns to Worthen Arena for two consecutive contests beginning with a 7 p.m. game vs. Kent State Jan. 24. The game is "BSU Student Appreciation Night", as the first 1,000 BSU students in The Nest will get free retro wristbands, tshirts and other prizes.
The Cardinals then host Ohio in a Sunday afternoon contest Jan. 28. The game is WIPB/Ball State Sports Network Family Day, featuring a family four-pack of tickets for just $20.
