Tuesday, November 27
Muncie, Ind.
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
108
vs
62
Tiffin
1
2
F
Tiffin
34
28
62
Ball St.
49
59
108
Photo by: Timothy Sofranko
Men’s Hoops Tops Century Mark in Win over Tiffin
November 27, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals place five in double-figures, Trey Moses racks up double-double by halftime
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team played the way you hoped they would Tuesday against Division II Tiffin.
The Cardinals (4-3) weren't just going through the motions against an opponent they thought they should handle. They executed their offense at a high level and wore down Tiffin (2-4) on the way to a decisive, 108-62 victory at Worthen Arena.
Senior center Trey Moses had his first double-double of the season by halftime on his way to a season-high 14 points and a career-best 17 rebounds.
Five BSU players scored in double figures, led by Tayler Persons with 20. Zach Gunn scored a career-high 17, with all but one coming in the second half. Tahjai Teague and K.J. Walton added 15 each in addition to the 14 from Moses.
"We weren't perfect; there were stretches of the game where we needed to defend better," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "But I was really proud of our leaders. I thought Tayler, for sure, really took charge inside our huddles and our locker room. I thought Tahjai, Kyle (Mallers) and Trey were very unselfish. We played the right way for 40 minutes."
Ball State shot nearly 60 percent from the floor for the game and made 7-of-11 attempts from 3-point range in the second half while blowing open a lead that was 15 at the break. The Cardinals outscored Tiffin 59-28 over the final 20 minutes. Gunn led the 3-point barrage in the second half, connecting on all four of his 3-point attempts.
Persons added six assists to his 20 points as part of a season-high 22 total assists for Ball State. The MAC assists leader coming into the night, he now has 22 of them during the Cardinals' current three-game winning streak.
Ball State nearly doubled up the Dragons on the boards with a 52-27 margin. Walton was second on the team with nine rebounds, coming up one shy of his own double-double, while Gunn pulled down a career-high eight of them.
Redshirt freshman center Blake Huggins saw the most extended playing time of his career with eight minutes of action in the second half. He collected two rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist while also making a free throw.
Austin Adams was the lone Tiffin player to reach double figures, scoring 18 points.
Ball State will now hit the road for four straight, starting with Saturday's 1 p.m. tipoff at IUPUI. The challenging stretch also includes a visit to 2018 national semifinalist Loyola Chicago, a return trip to Evansville and a matchup at Valparaiso.
The Cardinals (4-3) weren't just going through the motions against an opponent they thought they should handle. They executed their offense at a high level and wore down Tiffin (2-4) on the way to a decisive, 108-62 victory at Worthen Arena.
Senior center Trey Moses had his first double-double of the season by halftime on his way to a season-high 14 points and a career-best 17 rebounds.
Five BSU players scored in double figures, led by Tayler Persons with 20. Zach Gunn scored a career-high 17, with all but one coming in the second half. Tahjai Teague and K.J. Walton added 15 each in addition to the 14 from Moses.
"We weren't perfect; there were stretches of the game where we needed to defend better," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "But I was really proud of our leaders. I thought Tayler, for sure, really took charge inside our huddles and our locker room. I thought Tahjai, Kyle (Mallers) and Trey were very unselfish. We played the right way for 40 minutes."
Send it in, Tahj!!! ?? #ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsTU pic.twitter.com/ueZl3XaQ86
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 28, 2018
Ball State shot nearly 60 percent from the floor for the game and made 7-of-11 attempts from 3-point range in the second half while blowing open a lead that was 15 at the break. The Cardinals outscored Tiffin 59-28 over the final 20 minutes. Gunn led the 3-point barrage in the second half, connecting on all four of his 3-point attempts.
Persons added six assists to his 20 points as part of a season-high 22 total assists for Ball State. The MAC assists leader coming into the night, he now has 22 of them during the Cardinals' current three-game winning streak.
Ball State nearly doubled up the Dragons on the boards with a 52-27 margin. Walton was second on the team with nine rebounds, coming up one shy of his own double-double, while Gunn pulled down a career-high eight of them.
Redshirt freshman center Blake Huggins saw the most extended playing time of his career with eight minutes of action in the second half. He collected two rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist while also making a free throw.
Austin Adams was the lone Tiffin player to reach double figures, scoring 18 points.
Ball State will now hit the road for four straight, starting with Saturday's 1 p.m. tipoff at IUPUI. The challenging stretch also includes a visit to 2018 national semifinalist Loyola Chicago, a return trip to Evansville and a matchup at Valparaiso.
"We weren't perfect ... but we played the right way for 40 minutes, and it was a good win."
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 28, 2018
Coach Whitford on tonight's 108-62 victory over Tiffin ... pic.twitter.com/OuhtzLhjcn
.@Treymoses24 found his rhythm with a double-double in tonight's win. He talks about getting back into the flow ... pic.twitter.com/naTEfNOcg0
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 28, 2018
Team Stats
Tiffin
Ball St.
FG%
.343
.594
3FG%
.241
.409
FT%
.636
.739
RB
27
52
TO
10
11
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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