Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
7-14, 3-5MAC
Bowling Green
11-10, 2-6MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| Bowling Green | 36 | 31 | 67 |
Men's Basketball Falls At Bowling Green, 67-57
February 01, 2007 | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green used a 15-4 run over the final seven minutes of the first half to build an 11-point halftime lead en route to a 67-57 Mid-American Conference win Wednesday over Ball State.
The loss drops Ball State to 7-14 overall and 3-5 in the league, while the Falcons improved to 11-10 and 2-6 in the MAC.
"It's tough anytime you have your two big scorers not scoring," says first-year BSU head coach Ronny Thompson. "We weren't very physical tonight. When we got down, they came after us."
The Cardinals fell behind 5-0 early, before Anthony Newell ignited BSU by scoring the team's first six points of the contest.
After Bowling Green built a 13-8 lead with 13:07 on the clock, the Cardinals battled back to eventually tie the contest at 21 all following a three-point field goal from Steve Horton at the 7:30 mark.
BG's Brian Moten, who entered the game averaging just four points, nailed a three-pointer on the next possession to spark the Falcons' 15-4 run to close the half.
"We came out flat," Newell says. "We let them get into our heads and maybe we thought too much about their six-game losing streak. We've been there before and now we have to get out of it."
In the second half, Ball State closed to within five points at 44-39 with 12:09 on the clock after Peyton Stovall found a flying Newell on an in-bounds pass and score. Stovall had just connected on three consecutive free throws seconds before after being fouled on a long-range attempt.
The Falcons held between a seven and 10-point advantage over the next seven minutes of the game until freshman Ahmaad Cook drained a three-point field goal with 5:10 on the clock.
The bucket pulled BSU to within 55-48, but after a pair of Horton free throws kept the margin at six points, the Falcons answered to again push the score back to double figures at 60-50.
Another score from Horton again cut the lead to six points at 60-54 with under four minutes to play, but the home team out-scored BSU 7-3 over the final three minutes for the 67-57 final.
"We couldn't score," Thompson says. "We ran the ball, but we missed easy shots. You have to be able to score."
Newell was the only Cardinal in double figures, finishing with 13 points.
Ball State returns to action Saturday with a 4 p.m. game at MAC East-leading Akron. The game is the MAC TV Game of the Week and will be televised by FOX Sports Net.
