Men's Hoops Claws Back Before Falling in Overtime at Kent State

KENT, Ohio -- The Ball State men's basketball team rallied from 10 points down in the second half to send Tuesday's game to overtime before Kent State pulled through for an 88-80 victory on its home court.

Tayler Persons' fourth 3-pointer of the night came in the final minute of regulation to force the extra period. But Kent State outscored the Cardinals 17-9 over those five minutes to improve to 10-10 (4-3 MAC). Ball State fell to 12-8 (3-4 MAC).

Ball State Head Coach James Whitford:
"Things can change so fast in a close game like that. I thought our guys really competed … We have to stay the course. We have a chance to be as dangerous as anyone in this league come March. Our guys get that. It's a long season. We're going to look up in a few weeks and we're going to be playing a lot better."

Inside the Numbers
• Persons led the Cardinals with 19 points and seven assists while connecting on a season-high four 3-pointers in six attempts.

• Sean Sellers scored 15 points, shot 3 of 5 from beyond the arc and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Sellers' 19 rebounds over the past two games are the most over a two-game period in his career.

• Kyle Mallers and Tahjai Teague scored 12 points each, while Trey Moses added nine. Mallers was 2 for 2 from beyond the arc, helping the Cardinals match their season high with 11 3-pointers as a team.

• The Cardinals made a lineup change Tuesday, starting Teague at the 4, moving Mallers to the 3 and Sellers to the 2.

• Kent State placed six scorers in double figures, led by Kevin Zabo with 21. Danny Pippen registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

• Whitford on the Cardinals' improved outside shooting: "I thought we got freed up in transition. We were able to get out and play faster, something that we weren't able to do against Miami."

How it Happened
• The second half was marked by runs for both teams. Ball State began the half down 38-31 after a 3 from Jeremie Tyler at the halftime buzzer helped the Cardinals start cutting into a 10-point Kent State lead.

• The Cardinals opened the second stanza with five straight points from Sellers and took the lead less than four minutes after the break.

• But with Ball State leading 49-45 at the 14:29 mark, Kent State embarked on a 17-3 run over the next seven-plus minutes to regain its 10-point advantage.

• The Cardinals chipped away at the lead, cutting it to a single possession inside of the 2-minute mark. Persons brought the Cardinals within one with 54 seconds to play. After a tip-in from Adonis De La Rosa on the other end pushed the lead back to three, Persons drilled the game-tying 3 with 29 seconds to go.

• Ishmael El-Amin put the Cardinals on top 75-74 with 3:18 to play in overtime, but Kent State went on another run. The Flashes scored the next 10 points and controlled things the rest of the way.

Up Next
• Ball State returns home to host Akron at noon Saturday on CBS Sports Network. It is the first game of a doubleheader at Worthen Arena. The Ball State women's team will follow with a 2:30 p.m. tipoff against Northern Illinois.

• Fans who purchase single-game tickets or a flex plan by Wednesday at 5 p.m. will receive a voucher for a free Papa John's large pizza and breadsticks while supplies last. A ticket to the men's game will provide free entry to the women's game. The men's basketball game is a Chick-fil-A Family Game. Fans are encouraged to visit Chick-fil-A in Muncie on McGalliard for a specially-priced ticket voucher.

Men's Hoops Claws Back Before Falling in Overtime at Kent State

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Team Stats

Tayler Persons

Sean Sellers

Kyle Mallers

Tahjai Teague

Players Mentioned

Ishmael El-Amin

Kyle Mallers

Trey Moses

Tayler Persons

Sean Sellers

Tahjai Teague

Players Mentioned

Ishmael El-Amin

Kyle Mallers

Trey Moses

Tayler Persons

Sean Sellers

Tahjai Teague