Friday, January 3
Muncie, Ind.
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
8-6,1-0MAC
61
vs
57
Toledo
8-6,0-1MAC
1
2
F
Toledo
27
30
57
Ball St.
34
27
61
Photo by: Tevin Studdard
Cardinals Open MAC Play with Gritty Win over Preseason West Favorite Toledo
January 03, 2020 | Men's Basketball
BSU seizes control with 19-0 first-half run, holds off Rockets down the stretch
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Cardinals trailed by double digits. Then they led by double digits. And in the end, Friday night's MAC opener was just what you might expect from two of the league's anticipated contenders – a one-possession game in the final minute.
Ball State's wins in the non-conference schedule had come in decisive fashion, all by at least 14 points actually. Against preseason West Division favorite Toledo, BSU (8-6, 1-0 MAC) proved it could win a close one, too.
Ishmael El-Amin scored 17 points to go with a career-high nine rebounds, and Kyle Mallers went for 15 as the Cardinals competed their way to a 61-57 victory in front of an enthusiastic Worthen Arena crowd. Luke Bumbalough scored 10 and hit a pair of clutch free throws late to help seal things.
"Super proud of our guys; I thought it was an incredibly gritty win," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "We had some moments in there where I thought our level of effort and the level we were competing at was exceptional."
Tahjai Teague has feasted on Toledo throughout his career, averaging a near double-double in six previous games against the Rockets (8-6, 0-1 MAC). His stat line was more understated in Friday's win, only five points and six rebounds. But his presence was just as big.
The fifth-year senior kept the Cardinals in front late with a coast-to-coast 3-point play at a crucial juncture and impacted the game on the defensive end as BSU locked in on a Toledo team that matched its season-low point total. Teague, Mallers and Josh Thompson improved to 6-1 in their careers against the Rockets.
"It's just heart down there; you just have to have a will to say, 'you're not scoring,'" Teague said. "For me, it's a rivalry game. You have to just lock in on the moments. I didn't really play good on offense; I didn't really care. I just wanted to win, so I just gave it my all on defense."
Toledo grabbed the early advantage in the first of this season's two scheduled meetings, jumping out to a 17-5 lead. But a 19-0 BSU run, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Bumbalough and one from Mallers, turned the tide. The Cardinals built a lead of as many as 12 points and took a 34-27 edge into halftime.
Toledo rallied after the break, tying the game at 46-all midway through the second half and eventually taking a couple of one-point leads. But after Willie Jackson's bucket put the Rockets up 52-51 with 5:19 to play, Ball State seized control with an 8-0 spurt. Teague had a pair of transition lay-ins, including his 3-point play, during that stretch, and Mallers drained a 3 that staked the Cardinals to a 59-52 lead with 1:47 left.
Ball State held off Toledo down the stretch. The Rockets trimmed the lead to 59-57 with 9 seconds remaining and sent Bumbalough to the line for a one-and-one. The freshman was true on both of them, and Toledo came up empty on its final possession.
Willie Jackson led the Rockets with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Luke Knapke finished with 11 points and Marreon Jackson added 10.
Ball State, which played at home for the first time in nearly a month, will be home again Tuesday to host defending league champion Buffalo. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
Ball State's wins in the non-conference schedule had come in decisive fashion, all by at least 14 points actually. Against preseason West Division favorite Toledo, BSU (8-6, 1-0 MAC) proved it could win a close one, too.
Ishmael El-Amin scored 17 points to go with a career-high nine rebounds, and Kyle Mallers went for 15 as the Cardinals competed their way to a 61-57 victory in front of an enthusiastic Worthen Arena crowd. Luke Bumbalough scored 10 and hit a pair of clutch free throws late to help seal things.
"Super proud of our guys; I thought it was an incredibly gritty win," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "We had some moments in there where I thought our level of effort and the level we were competing at was exceptional."
After falling behind 17-5 early, the Cardinals have stormed back to go on a 22-1 run.@BallStateMBB pic.twitter.com/J03eVkS13T
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 4, 2020
Tahjai Teague has feasted on Toledo throughout his career, averaging a near double-double in six previous games against the Rockets (8-6, 0-1 MAC). His stat line was more understated in Friday's win, only five points and six rebounds. But his presence was just as big.
The fifth-year senior kept the Cardinals in front late with a coast-to-coast 3-point play at a crucial juncture and impacted the game on the defensive end as BSU locked in on a Toledo team that matched its season-low point total. Teague, Mallers and Josh Thompson improved to 6-1 in their careers against the Rockets.
"It's just heart down there; you just have to have a will to say, 'you're not scoring,'" Teague said. "For me, it's a rivalry game. You have to just lock in on the moments. I didn't really play good on offense; I didn't really care. I just wanted to win, so I just gave it my all on defense."
Tahj coast-to-coast for the And-1.
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) January 4, 2020
BSU 56, Toledo 52. 3:28 to play. It's winning time.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsTOL pic.twitter.com/kqwyjJwLU3
Toledo grabbed the early advantage in the first of this season's two scheduled meetings, jumping out to a 17-5 lead. But a 19-0 BSU run, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Bumbalough and one from Mallers, turned the tide. The Cardinals built a lead of as many as 12 points and took a 34-27 edge into halftime.
Toledo rallied after the break, tying the game at 46-all midway through the second half and eventually taking a couple of one-point leads. But after Willie Jackson's bucket put the Rockets up 52-51 with 5:19 to play, Ball State seized control with an 8-0 spurt. Teague had a pair of transition lay-ins, including his 3-point play, during that stretch, and Mallers drained a 3 that staked the Cardinals to a 59-52 lead with 1:47 left.
Ball State held off Toledo down the stretch. The Rockets trimmed the lead to 59-57 with 9 seconds remaining and sent Bumbalough to the line for a one-and-one. The freshman was true on both of them, and Toledo came up empty on its final possession.
Willie Jackson led the Rockets with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Luke Knapke finished with 11 points and Marreon Jackson added 10.
Ball State, which played at home for the first time in nearly a month, will be home again Tuesday to host defending league champion Buffalo. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
"I thought it was an incredibly gritty win. We had some moments where I thought our level of effort and the level we were competing at was exceptional."
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) January 4, 2020
Coach Whit after a MAC-opening win over preseason West Division favorite Toledo. pic.twitter.com/mNeColZ4X0
Team Stats
UT
BSU
FG%
.404
.423
3FG%
.421
.346
FT%
.467
.889
RB
34
32
TO
16
15
STL
9
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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