Men’s Hoops Defeats CMU for Third Straight Win

Tuesday, January 17

Muncie, Ind.

7:00 PM ET

Ball State University

12-6 (3-2MAC)

Central Michigan

11-7 (1-4MAC)

Central Michigan

Ball State

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

January 17, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score PDF Box Score Coach Whitford Post-Game

Cardinals dominate the paint, place five in double figures

MUNCIE, Ind. -- If you like fast-paced basketball with a lot of scoring, Tuesday was your night at Worthen Arena. Ball State out-ran Central Michigan to collect its third straight Mid-American Conference win with a 98-83 victory.

The Cardinals overcame 17 Central Michigan 3-pointers, the most ever for a visiting team in Worthen Arena. They did so by shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and dominating points in the paint to the tune of 44-10.

Ball State (12-6, 3-2 MAC) also made nine 3's of its own as the teams combined for 26 treys, an arena record.

"It was a fun college basketball game, both ways," Ball State coach James Whitford said. "They have some dynamic scorers on offense, but we settled in. I thought we played the same way on offense all 40 minutes."

A balanced attack has been a theme for the Cardinals this season, and Tuesday was no different as five players reached double figures.

Trey Moses led the way with a career-high 20 points, while Tayler Persons scored 18, Franko House 16, Francis Kiapway 14, Jeremie Tyler 10. It was the third straight game with at least five Cardinals in double figures.

Moses also turned in game highs with 11 rebounds and four blocks as he posted his third double-double of the season. He finished the night 7 of 8 from the floor.

"Trey has done a lot of really good things for us," Whitford said. "He's a really fun kid to coach … does everything you ask him to do."

Tuesday's game had a little extra meaning as Ball State and Central Michigan (11-7, 1-4 MAC) shared the MAC West Division championship last season.

The Chippewas' high-tempo offense set the tone right from tipoff. Marcus Keene led the way for Central Michigan, draining 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes of the game.

The nation's leading scorer at nearly 29 points per game entering the night, Keene hit that number exactly but needed 25 shots to get there. Braylon Rayson added 20 points for the Chippewas but needed 18 shots.

Ball State spotted Central Michigan a 10-point lead, trailing 36-26 with 8:01 remaining before halftime. But the Cardinals came storming back, scoring 18 straight points to take a 44-36 lead.

Ball State went on to lead 48-43 at half after both teams shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

The Chippewas' hot shooting cooled in the second half. Ball State held Keene and Rayson to 4-of-21 shooting combined, and CMU made just 24 percent of its attempts from the floor after the break.

Meanwhile, Ball State remained steady. The Cardinals shot the same percentage in the second half as the first (55.6 percent) but shifted their focus inside. Moses scored 16 of his points after the break, leading a BSU effort that went 13 for 19 inside the arc in the second half.

Ball State opened up a double-digit lead with 7:30 to play and stretched it out the rest of the way.

The Cardinals will take the show on the road to face the Falcons of Bowling Green on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN3 as the second game on a men's/women's doubleheader between the two schools.

Ball State will be home again Saturday, Jan. 28 as part of a special men's/women's doubleheader celebrating 25 years of Worthen Arena.