Saturday, February 16
Muncie, Ind.
2:00 PM ET
Ball State University
57
vs
56
Akron
1
2
F
Akron
29
27
56
Ball St.
21
36
57
Photo by: Kyle Crawford
Moses’ Late Tip-in Helps Ball State Earn Gritty, 57-56 Win over Akron
February 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals extend winning streak to three games with home victory
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team trailed Akron for 32 minutes but led when it counted, as Trey Moses tipped in a missed shot with 15 seconds remaining to lift the Cardinals to a hard-fought, 57-56 victory on Saturday afternoon at Worthen Arena.
Ball State improved to 14-11 overall and 5-7 in the MAC with its third straight victory, while the Zips fell to an identical 14-11 but 6-6 in conference competition.
"Statistically speaking, Akron is the best defensive team we've faced all year," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Because of that, we had to find other way to get things done. I thought we played the right way on offense in the first half and didn't deliver, but I couldn't be more pleased with the way we shared the ball. I thought we also made good hustle plays and effort plays in the second half. I couldn't be more proud. It was a good win for us."
Moses' late-game heroics were accompanied by a state line of six points, nine rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Tayler Persons and K.J. Walton were both one rebound shy of double-doubles, as Persons was Ball State's leading scorer with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Walton had 12 points and nine boards. Tahjai Teague was close to a double-double himself, as he scored nine points while pulling down nine rebounds.
While Moses hit the game-winner, Persons had a clutch shot himself with just over a minute to play. The Cardinals were behind by five with 3:20 to play and trying to overcome a two-minute scoring drought. The team clawed its way back in and Persons drilled a long 2 to give BSU the lead with 1:05 remaining. Akron momentarily regained its lead on a pair of makes from the charity stripe with 26 seconds left, but Moses' tip was the final bucket, as the Zips missed a shot as time expired.
Akron came into the game with the top scoring defense in the conference, but Ball State's defense got the job done, too. The Cardinals held the Zips to 30.2 percent from the field while shooting 34.4 themselves, and grabbed seven steals while blocking four shots. BSU also outrebounded Akron, 49-37.
The Cardinals attempted to make a statement early as Walton intercepted a pass on defense and fed Teague for a breakaway dunk on the other end. Akron responded by stringing together an 11-4 run to snag the lead and force a BSU timeout.
Ball State responded well with six quick points out of the timeout but could never quite get over the hump the remainder of the half. The deficit never grew greater than eight, but the Zips took a 29-21 advantage into the locker room.
The halftime break gave the Cardinals a chance to regroup, and they came out with a 7-0 run 90 seconds into the second half to pull within three. BSU continued to keep things close and finally broke through at the 12:24 mark when a fastbreak layup by Persons gave Ball State its first lead since early in the first half. Akron then took the lead back and held it until Persons and Moses came through with their clutch pair of baskets to secure the win.
"We did start making some more shots in the second half but I don't think that was necessarily the difference," Whitford said. "I really think it was those hustle plays that helped us out. Tahjai made a lot of those plays, and it was exactly what we needed."
Ball State now hits the road for a Tuesday matchup at Miami. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Ball State improved to 14-11 overall and 5-7 in the MAC with its third straight victory, while the Zips fell to an identical 14-11 but 6-6 in conference competition.
"Statistically speaking, Akron is the best defensive team we've faced all year," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Because of that, we had to find other way to get things done. I thought we played the right way on offense in the first half and didn't deliver, but I couldn't be more pleased with the way we shared the ball. I thought we also made good hustle plays and effort plays in the second half. I couldn't be more proud. It was a good win for us."
Moses' late-game heroics were accompanied by a state line of six points, nine rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Tayler Persons and K.J. Walton were both one rebound shy of double-doubles, as Persons was Ball State's leading scorer with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Walton had 12 points and nine boards. Tahjai Teague was close to a double-double himself, as he scored nine points while pulling down nine rebounds.
While Moses hit the game-winner, Persons had a clutch shot himself with just over a minute to play. The Cardinals were behind by five with 3:20 to play and trying to overcome a two-minute scoring drought. The team clawed its way back in and Persons drilled a long 2 to give BSU the lead with 1:05 remaining. Akron momentarily regained its lead on a pair of makes from the charity stripe with 26 seconds left, but Moses' tip was the final bucket, as the Zips missed a shot as time expired.
Akron came into the game with the top scoring defense in the conference, but Ball State's defense got the job done, too. The Cardinals held the Zips to 30.2 percent from the field while shooting 34.4 themselves, and grabbed seven steals while blocking four shots. BSU also outrebounded Akron, 49-37.
The Cardinals attempted to make a statement early as Walton intercepted a pass on defense and fed Teague for a breakaway dunk on the other end. Akron responded by stringing together an 11-4 run to snag the lead and force a BSU timeout.
Now that's how you start a basketball game.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsAKR pic.twitter.com/ZrAWNrBHnY
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 16, 2019
Ball State responded well with six quick points out of the timeout but could never quite get over the hump the remainder of the half. The deficit never grew greater than eight, but the Zips took a 29-21 advantage into the locker room.
The halftime break gave the Cardinals a chance to regroup, and they came out with a 7-0 run 90 seconds into the second half to pull within three. BSU continued to keep things close and finally broke through at the 12:24 mark when a fastbreak layup by Persons gave Ball State its first lead since early in the first half. Akron then took the lead back and held it until Persons and Moses came through with their clutch pair of baskets to secure the win.
And just like that, the Cards are on top!
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 16, 2019
Taking an eraser to that 8-point Akron halftime lead!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsAKR pic.twitter.com/8oLeWCZeof
"We did start making some more shots in the second half but I don't think that was necessarily the difference," Whitford said. "I really think it was those hustle plays that helped us out. Tahjai made a lot of those plays, and it was exactly what we needed."
Ball State now hits the road for a Tuesday matchup at Miami. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Coach Whitford breaks down the win over Akron, overcoming the Zips' tough defense and the all-around performance of Tahjai Teague. pic.twitter.com/tEN5zhrREQ
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 16, 2019
.@Treymoses24 on not feeling his best and on what transpired on his game-winning tip-in. pic.twitter.com/fuVGgdTWZX
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 16, 2019
.@TaylerPersons8 on the challenge of facing Akron's defense and the Cardinals' perseverance to overcome it. pic.twitter.com/jOon6Gfrja
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 16, 2019
Team Stats
M-5
M-47
FG%
.302
.344
3FG%
.160
.176
FT%
.933
.750
RB
37
49
TO
11
15
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
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