Thursday, March 14
Cleveland, Ohio
9:00 PM ET
Ball State University
16-17 (6-12MAC)
86
vs
99
(3) Bowling Green
21-11 (12-6MAC)
1
2
F
Ball State
51
35
86
Bowling Green
54
45
99
Photo by: Jeff Harwell
Cardinals Fall to Bowling Green in High-Flying MAC Quarterfinal
March 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball
BSU shoots 50 percent but struggles to get stops against No. 3 seed Falcons
CLEVELAND -- Ball State scored the ball Thursday night better than it had in a long time, but the Cardinals couldn't keep up with Bowling Green's break-neck pace in a 99-86 loss in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.
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After holding eight of its past nine opponents to fewer than 70 points and limiting Eastern Michigan to just 43 in in its quarterfinal win, Ball State surrendered the highest point total for any of its opponents this season.
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The No. 11 seed Cardinals (16-17) saw their season come to an end, while No. 3 seed Bowling Green (21-11) advanced to meet No. 7 seed Northern Illinois in Friday's semifinals.
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"I didn't feel like we played poorly," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "I felt like we played pretty well. I thought Bowling Green played very well tonight."
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Tayler Persons led Ball State with 25 points and seven assists, while Trey Moses scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half. Both guys played their final games in BSU uniforms after distinguished careers in Muncie.
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Zach Gunn came off the bench to drain three 3-pointers and score 12 points, his highest total since the start of conference play, but it wasn't enough.
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Ball State dealt with foul trouble starting early when Moses went to the bench with two quick ones. He picked up a third by the end of the first half, and he and Tahjai Teague both had four midway through the second. K.J. Walton was also limited after having a tooth knocked out early in the game and missing significant minutes.
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Bowling Green leading scorer Justin Turner dealt with early foul trouble of his own and finished his night with only 10 points, but Ball State struggled to contain the inside-outside duo of Dylan Frye and Demajeo Wiggins. Wiggins went for 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Frye scored 20.
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Ball State kept pace through the first half, trailing just 54-51 at the break after an opening 20 minutes that saw both teams shoot right around 55 percent from the floor.
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But Bowling Green used an 8-0 run to turn a 69-63 lead into a 14-point advantage with just under 10 minutes to play. The Cardinals couldn't get any closer than 10 the rest of the way, and the Falcons led by as many as 18.
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Bowling Green finished the game shooting 56 percent from the floor and hit 9-of-20 from 3-point range, while Ball State cooled off slightly down the stretch. After hitting six 3's in the first half, the Cardinals made just 2-of-11 in the second.Â
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After holding eight of its past nine opponents to fewer than 70 points and limiting Eastern Michigan to just 43 in in its quarterfinal win, Ball State surrendered the highest point total for any of its opponents this season.
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The No. 11 seed Cardinals (16-17) saw their season come to an end, while No. 3 seed Bowling Green (21-11) advanced to meet No. 7 seed Northern Illinois in Friday's semifinals.
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"I didn't feel like we played poorly," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "I felt like we played pretty well. I thought Bowling Green played very well tonight."
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Tayler Persons led Ball State with 25 points and seven assists, while Trey Moses scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half. Both guys played their final games in BSU uniforms after distinguished careers in Muncie.
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Zach Gunn came off the bench to drain three 3-pointers and score 12 points, his highest total since the start of conference play, but it wasn't enough.
ÂZach Gunn seems to enjoy The Q! He had five 3's here in last year's quarterfinals. He just hit his second tonight to give him 7 points ?? pic.twitter.com/uPU77R1af5
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) March 15, 2019
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Ball State dealt with foul trouble starting early when Moses went to the bench with two quick ones. He picked up a third by the end of the first half, and he and Tahjai Teague both had four midway through the second. K.J. Walton was also limited after having a tooth knocked out early in the game and missing significant minutes.
Â
Bowling Green leading scorer Justin Turner dealt with early foul trouble of his own and finished his night with only 10 points, but Ball State struggled to contain the inside-outside duo of Dylan Frye and Demajeo Wiggins. Wiggins went for 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Frye scored 20.
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Ball State kept pace through the first half, trailing just 54-51 at the break after an opening 20 minutes that saw both teams shoot right around 55 percent from the floor.
Â
But Bowling Green used an 8-0 run to turn a 69-63 lead into a 14-point advantage with just under 10 minutes to play. The Cardinals couldn't get any closer than 10 the rest of the way, and the Falcons led by as many as 18.
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Bowling Green finished the game shooting 56 percent from the floor and hit 9-of-20 from 3-point range, while Ball State cooled off slightly down the stretch. After hitting six 3's in the first half, the Cardinals made just 2-of-11 in the second.Â
ÂLIVE NOW: @BallStateMBB ?? #MACtion https://t.co/jcGqBoAAi4
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 15, 2019
Team Stats
BSU
BGSU
FG%
.507
.561
3FG%
.320
.450
FT%
.625
.615
RB
35
36
TO
15
11
STL
4
8
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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