Tuesday, January 3
Kent, OH
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
9-5, 0-1MAC
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Kent State
9-5, 1-0MAC
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Ball State
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Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services
Men’s Hoops Falls in Shootout at Kent State
January 03, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals see five-game winning streak snapped
KENT, Ohio -- Ryan Weber led five double-figure scorers for Ball State with 19 points, but the Cardinals came up on the short end, 100-90, in Tuesday's Mid-American Conference opener at Kent State.
It was an up-and-down game that Ball State (9-5, 0-1 MAC) led early in the second half, but Kent State turned in an impressive shooting performance, both from 3-point range and the foul line, to open up an advantage down the stretch.
The Golden Flashes (9-5, 1-0 MAC), coming off a win at Texas in their non-conference finale, entered Tuesday's matchup shooting 31 percent from long range and 71 percent from the charity stripe for the season. Against the Cardinals, they made 9 of 19 3-pointers and remarkably connected of all 31 of their free throw attempts.
Their performance at the foul line set a MAC record for most free throws without a miss and came up three shy of the NCAA record.
For Ball State's part, it was just as good, if not better, on the offensive end. The Cardinals shot nearly 48 percent (six percentage points higher than the Flashes) and turned in a good performance of their own at the foul line, hitting 22 of 26.
But while Ball State coach James Whitford was pleased with the way his team played, he was disappointed with some things on the defensive end in the loss, which snapped the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
"We made a number of defensive mistakes in the second half, especially in the final five or six minutes, that we have to correct," he said. "But I was proud of the way we fought back. Proud of the way we were able to get back in the game, get the lead."
Weber was feeling it in the first half, scoring all 19 of his points on 6-of-7 shooting and 4-of-5 from 3-point range. The Cardinals also got solid play from Tahjai Teague, who saw extended minutes in the post with center Trey Moses in early foul trouble.
Kent State led by as many as 13 points in the opening half, but Weber helped bring the Cardinals all the way back to tie it up. They trailed 49-46 heading to the locker room.
"I thought we shared the ball well," Whitford said. "I thought Tahjai gave us a lift. Ryan Weber really stepped up, and he really helped us, obviously, especially in the first half."
Ball State scored the first four points of the second half to grab the lead, and then the teams traded it back and forth. With the game tied at 59, Kent State used a 10-0 run to seize control. The scoring during that stretch came from Jimmy Hall, Kevin Zabo and Desmond Ridenour.
Zabo finished with 18 points, 14 above his average, and hit all three of his 3-point attempts. Hall, an All-MAC player, scored 20, while Jaylin Walker led the Flashes with 21.
For Ball State, Tayler Persons scored 16 points to go along with eight assists, while Moses finished with 10 points and eight boards. Teague and Franko House scored 12 points each.
Ball State will return home to host Bowling Green as part of a doubleheader Saturday at Worthen Arena. The men's game tips off at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the Ball State women against Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m.
It was an up-and-down game that Ball State (9-5, 0-1 MAC) led early in the second half, but Kent State turned in an impressive shooting performance, both from 3-point range and the foul line, to open up an advantage down the stretch.
The Golden Flashes (9-5, 1-0 MAC), coming off a win at Texas in their non-conference finale, entered Tuesday's matchup shooting 31 percent from long range and 71 percent from the charity stripe for the season. Against the Cardinals, they made 9 of 19 3-pointers and remarkably connected of all 31 of their free throw attempts.
Their performance at the foul line set a MAC record for most free throws without a miss and came up three shy of the NCAA record.
For Ball State's part, it was just as good, if not better, on the offensive end. The Cardinals shot nearly 48 percent (six percentage points higher than the Flashes) and turned in a good performance of their own at the foul line, hitting 22 of 26.
But while Ball State coach James Whitford was pleased with the way his team played, he was disappointed with some things on the defensive end in the loss, which snapped the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
"We made a number of defensive mistakes in the second half, especially in the final five or six minutes, that we have to correct," he said. "But I was proud of the way we fought back. Proud of the way we were able to get back in the game, get the lead."
Weber was feeling it in the first half, scoring all 19 of his points on 6-of-7 shooting and 4-of-5 from 3-point range. The Cardinals also got solid play from Tahjai Teague, who saw extended minutes in the post with center Trey Moses in early foul trouble.
Kent State led by as many as 13 points in the opening half, but Weber helped bring the Cardinals all the way back to tie it up. They trailed 49-46 heading to the locker room.
"I thought we shared the ball well," Whitford said. "I thought Tahjai gave us a lift. Ryan Weber really stepped up, and he really helped us, obviously, especially in the first half."
Ball State scored the first four points of the second half to grab the lead, and then the teams traded it back and forth. With the game tied at 59, Kent State used a 10-0 run to seize control. The scoring during that stretch came from Jimmy Hall, Kevin Zabo and Desmond Ridenour.
Zabo finished with 18 points, 14 above his average, and hit all three of his 3-point attempts. Hall, an All-MAC player, scored 20, while Jaylin Walker led the Flashes with 21.
For Ball State, Tayler Persons scored 16 points to go along with eight assists, while Moses finished with 10 points and eight boards. Teague and Franko House scored 12 points each.
Ball State will return home to host Bowling Green as part of a doubleheader Saturday at Worthen Arena. The men's game tips off at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the Ball State women against Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m.
Team Stats
BSU
KENTST
FG%
.476
.417
3FG%
.348
.474
FT%
.846
1.000
RB
30
38
TO
16
13
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG/F
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