Strong Second Half Lifts Eagles Past Cardinals

Sunday, February 25

Ypsilanti, Mich.

2:00pm

Ball State University

9-19 (5-9MAC)

Eastern Michigan

11-17 (5-9MAC)

Team	1	2	F
Ball State	24	27	51
Eastern Michigan	24	37	61

February 25, 2007 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ball State Athletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. - - The Ball State men's basketball team was limited to nine points over the final 11:58 Sunday afternoon in a 61-51 loss to Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center.

With the loss, the Cardinals drop to 9-19 overall and to 5-9 in Mid-American Conference action. Eastern Michigan improves to 11-17 (5-9 MAC) with the win.

“We didn't make shots,” Ball State head coach Ronny Thompson said about today's contest. “The ball has to go in some kind of way. We missed lay ups, we missed jump shots and put entirely too much pressure on our defense. We have to find a way to convert.”

Defensively, the Cardinals were able to put a lot of pressure on the Eagles, forcing 23 turnovers in the contest. However, on the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals hit just 18 of 57 shots for 31.6 percent.

Eastern Michigan converted on 20 of 43 shots for 46.5 percent.

“We had momentum lapses on defense and they were able to hit shots,” said Anthony Newell, who paced all players with 17 points. “We need to learn how to give a final punch and finish games.”

Ball State's Skip Mills would also finish the contest with 13 points for his 63 career game with double-figure points.

While a jumper from Ball State's Micah Rollin 1:04 into the opening half put the Cardinals on the scoreboard first, it was some hot shooting early from Eastern Michigan that allowed the host Eagles to build an 12-5 advantage by the 13:26 mark.

After hitting just two shots and a free throw in the opening eight-and-a-half minutes, a jumper from Newell at 11:33 would spark an 11-0 run over the next six minutes that put the Cardinals ahead 16-12.

In addition to converting five buckets on offense, the BSU defense was able to force six of the Eagles 14 first-half turnovers during the run.

After back-to-back EMU lay ups tied the score at 16, Mills and Peyton Stovall would answer with back-to-back lay ups for BSU to make the score 20-16.

The Cardinals would claim their largest lead of the frame, six points at 24-18, with 2:42 remaining after Newell and Christopher Ames each knocked down a pair of free throws.

However, the Eagles would score the final six points of the half to tie the game at 24 going into the locker room.

Rollin would once again open the scoring in the second half, converting on one of two free throws at 18:37 to give BSU a 25-24 advantage. Newell would hit the first jump shot of the half to extend the Cardinals lead to 27-24 at 17:49.

Craig Cashen scored the Eagles first basket of the half at 17:09, to spark a 6-0 EMU run to make the score 30-27.

After playing to a 32-32 tie, Mills would hit a three-point basket, while Newell turned the EMU inbounds pass into a dunk to put the Cardinals on top 37-33 with 13:30 remaining.

Newell would add three more points, on a lay up and a free throw, to give Ball State a seven-point edge at 12:40.

With the Cardinals still leading by seven at 42-35, the Eagles rallied to tie the score at 44-44 off a Cashen three-pointer with 8:25 on the clock.

Cashen added two more three pointers over the next few minutes to help the Eagles pull ahead by eight points, 52-44, at the 6:33 mark.

The Eagles would extend their lead to 56-44 before a Mills lay up ended a seven-and-a-half minute scoreless drought for the Cardinals.

Stovall added a three-point basket one possession later, but the Cardinals eventually dropped the game by a final score of 61-51.