Saturday, February 15
Muncie, Ind.
1:00 PM ET
Ball State University
14-11,7-5MAC
71
vs
77
Bowling Green
19-7,10-3MAC
1
2
F
Bowling Green
37
40
77
Ball St.
30
41
71
Photo by: Kyle Crawford
Turner’s 33 Points Carry Bowling Green Past Ball State, 77-71
February 15, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals’ comeback attempt falls short in first MAC home loss
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Justin Turner piled up 33 points, one shy of his career best, to help Mid-American Conference leader Bowling Green pick up a 77-71 victory over Ball State on Saturday afternoon in Worthen Arena.
With the win, Bowling Green (19-7, 10-3 MAC) handed Ball State (14-11, 7-5 MAC) its first league loss at home. The Cardinals entered the game 5-0 in Worthen Arena against MAC foes.
BSU nearly staged a remarkable comeback in the final minutes, chopping a 20-point lead all the way to three before running out of time.
"I was proud of the guys at the end there, obviously great effort," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Justin Turner is a difficult guy to deal with. He was outstanding tonight. I thought we didn't have an answer for him. The other thing was the second-chance points. We had too many moments where we were slower to the ball, slow reacting and (Bowling Green was) bouncing off of trampolines."
It appeared the Falcons were going to cruise to their 10th MAC win. BGSU put together a 12-0 run spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second to build a double-digit lead at 41-30. Many of those points came off second-chance opportunities. The Falcons would go on to stretch their lead to as many as 20 points with 4:14 remaining, 70-50.
Ball State turned to full-court pressure to change the pace of the game. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 10 with 1:52 to go on a Jarron Coleman 3-pointer. Another Coleman basket with 35 ticks left got Ball State to within five points, 72-67. Seconds later, Tahjai Teague came up with a steal, was fouled and converted both free throws to cap a 16-0 Cardinals spurt and make the score 72-69 with 30 seconds remaining.
Bowling Green stopped the late rally by getting the ball into Turner's hands. Ball State couldn't force a turnover on the ensuing possession and was forced to foul. Turner made both ends of a 1-and-1 to give the Falcons some breathing room. A Teague lay-in brought the Cardinals back to within three with 13 seconds left, but Turner again made a pair of free throws to finally seal the win.
Turner's 33 points were a season high for the junior. He reached the 20-point plateau for the 12th time this season and seventh time in the last eight games. The guard was 10-of-19 from the floor and 11-of-13 at the free throw line. He also produced a team-high six assists.
Bowling Green pulled in 13 offensive rebounds and outscored Ball State in second-chance points, 15-6.
For Ball State, the trio of Teague, Coleman and Ishmael El-Amin combined for 54 points. Teague led the squad with 21. Coleman was one rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
Ball State hits the road for its next contest at Buffalo on Tuesday. The Cardinals then return home for the annual #MuncieOut game on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. For tickets to that matchup with Eastern Michigan, click here.
With the win, Bowling Green (19-7, 10-3 MAC) handed Ball State (14-11, 7-5 MAC) its first league loss at home. The Cardinals entered the game 5-0 in Worthen Arena against MAC foes.
BSU nearly staged a remarkable comeback in the final minutes, chopping a 20-point lead all the way to three before running out of time.
"I was proud of the guys at the end there, obviously great effort," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Justin Turner is a difficult guy to deal with. He was outstanding tonight. I thought we didn't have an answer for him. The other thing was the second-chance points. We had too many moments where we were slower to the ball, slow reacting and (Bowling Green was) bouncing off of trampolines."
It appeared the Falcons were going to cruise to their 10th MAC win. BGSU put together a 12-0 run spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second to build a double-digit lead at 41-30. Many of those points came off second-chance opportunities. The Falcons would go on to stretch their lead to as many as 20 points with 4:14 remaining, 70-50.
Josh the block. Tahj the feed. Ish the slam.
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 15, 2020
Let's go!!!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsBG pic.twitter.com/dSngaTb4ak
Ball State turned to full-court pressure to change the pace of the game. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 10 with 1:52 to go on a Jarron Coleman 3-pointer. Another Coleman basket with 35 ticks left got Ball State to within five points, 72-67. Seconds later, Tahjai Teague came up with a steal, was fouled and converted both free throws to cap a 16-0 Cardinals spurt and make the score 72-69 with 30 seconds remaining.
Bowling Green stopped the late rally by getting the ball into Turner's hands. Ball State couldn't force a turnover on the ensuing possession and was forced to foul. Turner made both ends of a 1-and-1 to give the Falcons some breathing room. A Teague lay-in brought the Cardinals back to within three with 13 seconds left, but Turner again made a pair of free throws to finally seal the win.
Block City!!!
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 15, 2020
Tahj and Brachen combo on this denial. Keeping it tight late in the first half. Cards trail 25-24 with 4:02 until break time.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsBG pic.twitter.com/e9OOAnBeGh
Turner's 33 points were a season high for the junior. He reached the 20-point plateau for the 12th time this season and seventh time in the last eight games. The guard was 10-of-19 from the floor and 11-of-13 at the free throw line. He also produced a team-high six assists.
Bowling Green pulled in 13 offensive rebounds and outscored Ball State in second-chance points, 15-6.
For Ball State, the trio of Teague, Coleman and Ishmael El-Amin combined for 54 points. Teague led the squad with 21. Coleman was one rebound shy of a double-double with 17 points and nine boards.
Ball State hits the road for its next contest at Buffalo on Tuesday. The Cardinals then return home for the annual #MuncieOut game on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. For tickets to that matchup with Eastern Michigan, click here.
With 10 points already today, Tahjai Teague has moved into the top 10 on the Cardinals' all-time scoring list. He has 1,429 points in a BSU uniform.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsBG pic.twitter.com/epVEg0CTPd
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 15, 2020
Team Stats
BGSU
BSU
FG%
.431
.406
3FG%
.333
.276
FT%
.773
.733
RB
44
36
TO
13
13
STL
4
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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