Ball State University
3-18, 2-7
Kent State
18-5, 7-2
Men's Basketball Drops OT Heartbreaker At Kent State
February 06, 2008 | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio - - Junior guard LaRon Frazier's (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan H.S.) last-second three-point attempt rimmed out as Ball State (3-18, 2-7) fell on the road to Mid-American Conference rival Kent State (17-5, 6-2), 64-61, in an overtime thriller Wednesday evening at the M.A.C. Center.
“I feel so bad for our kids,” said first-year Ball State head coach Billy Taylor. “They played their hearts out against an elite team in our league.”
Freshman Melvin Goins (Dallas, Tx./Christian Life H.S.) led all scorers with 21 points on 7-15 shooting, including 5-5 behind the three-point arc. Goins nailed a three-pointer to open overtime scoring and gave the Cardinals a 52-49 advantage that they held for most of the final period.
Following two free throws by junior Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon H.S.), the Cardinals led 61-58 with just over a half-minute remaining. On Kent State's next possession, the Golden Eagles' Al Fisher found the basket for a lay-up and duplicated the feat for a 62-61 lead after Ball State turned the ball over on the inbounds pass.
Ball State had the opportunity to regain the lead following a foul but missed a pair of free throws. Kent State's Mike Scott proceeded to hit two free throws for the final score.
“To close a team out on the road you have to make free throws, take care of the basketball and get rebounds,” said Taylor.
Newell scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Cardinals.
At halftime, Ball State trailed 25-20 after forcing nine Kent State turnovers, but the home team came out firing after the intermission.
After freshman Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran H.S.) scored the first two points of the second-half, Kent State scored 12 of the next 14.
The Cardinals responded with a 19-4 run of their own to tie the game at 41-41 on a Goins three.
The Cardinals scored the next six points for a 47-41 advantage, but KSU scored eight of the final ten points to force the extra frame.
BSU had a chance to win in regulation, but nothing materialized of their final possession and the Cardinals failed to attempt a shot.
Four of Ball State's seven conference losses have come by a total of 11 points.
