Ball State University
0-4
Evansville
1-3
Men's Basketball Suffers 51-50 Loss To Evansville
November 24, 2007 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team built a nine-point, 47-38 advantage with just under seven minutes to play Saturday afternoon, but the visiting Evansville Aces used a 13-3 run in the last five minutes to take a 51-50 victory over the Cardinals.
"Today was a really heart-breaking loss for our guys," said BSU head coach Billy Taylor. "We were in position to win again and we were not able to close it out. We are getting the stops down the stretch, we just have to be able to secure the rebounds."
After Evansville took a 48-47 lead, senior Peyton Stovall drained a three-point field goal with :34 on the clock to push Ball State back ahead at 50-49.
The bucket set the stage for the Aces' Pieter Tongeren who scored with :10 remaining en route to the 51-50 final.
Evansville, which had committed just two team fouls entering the final 10 seconds, stopped play on three consecutive occasions in the final six seconds before BSU freshman Malik Perry's driving jumper in the lane grazed off the front of the rim as time expired.
"Malik has been great," Taylor said. "I am disappointed he couldn't get the last shot to go, because I felt like he gave great effort today. He is really progressing and giving us a presence in the paint."
The Cardinals, who trailed by four points at halftime, opened the second 20 minutes with back-to-back scores from Perry.
Perry tied the game for the fourth time with a bucket at the 13:43 mark, before a jumper from junior Laron Frazier sparked a 15-6 BSU run over the next seven minutes.
Included in the BSU spurt was three-point field goal from Stovall, who finished the game with four long-range bombs and a season-high 22 points.
"That guy's a winner," said Evansville head coach Marty Simmons about Stovall. "He has a lot of heart. He can shoot it, he can drive it and he can rebound it. He's a great leader for his team. I am glad we don't have to play against him again."
Perry added 10 points and five rebounds, while redshirt freshman Rashaun McLemore added six points. Frazier and freshman Melvin Goins each registered three assists.
The Aces, who captured their first win on the season, were led by Darin Granger's 16 points.
"Even though we lost this game, hopefully down the road this experience will help us out," Stovall said. "I'm really having fun out there with this group of guys. We just have to learn from this and keep getting better. We'll be alright."
The Cardinals begin the second-longest road trip in the 87-year history of BSU basketball Tuesday at St. Joseph's.
The five-game road swing trails only the six-game stint away from Muncie recorded by the 1922-23 Cardinals.
Tuesday's game can be heard on the BSU Radio Network, with flagship station WLBC FM 104.1 in Muncie. The game can also be heard online at ballstatesports.com.
