Tuesday, February 4
Kent, Ohio
7:00 PM ET
Ball State University
13-9,6-3MAC
62
at
54
Kent State
16-7,6-4MAC
1
2
F
Ball St.
35
27
62
Kent St.
28
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54
Photo by: Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Lock up Big Road Win, End Drought in Kent
February 04, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Ball State moves to 6-3 at midway point of MAC schedule
KENT, Ohio -- The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center had been a bit of a house of horrors for the Ball State men's basketball team for some time.
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BSU had lost 11 straight on Kent State's home floor. Hadn't won there since 1999. Went to overtime on the last visit but couldn't get it.
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On Tuesday night, the Cardinals exorcised the demons.
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Ball State (13-9, 6-3 MAC) shook off a slow start to overcome a 13-point deficit and grab the lead by halftime. The Cardinals never trailed after the break on the way to a 62-54 victory.
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"It's a huge win," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Twenty years. I think it tells you how good Kent has been for how long. At the end of the day, most importantly, it puts us at 6-3 through the first half of the conference and gets us a big road win."
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Ball State handed Kent State (16-7, 6-4 MAC) just its second home loss of the season and did it behind another big all-around performance from Tahjai Teague. The fifth-year senior scored 12 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and handed out six assists.
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But make no mistake. This was a total team effort.
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Kyle Mallers led the way with 16 points, hitting 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Jarron Coleman scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. And Brachen Hazen pulled down a career-high 10 boards.
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The guy who really sparked the Cardinals, though, was Miryne Thomas. BSU hadn't made much of anything and trailed 22-9 midway through the first half. Thomas, having recently checked into just his third MAC game, lined up a 3-pointer from the right wing. It was true.
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On the next possession, he dialed one up from the left wing. Nothing but net. Ball State had found some flow, and it lasted. The Cardinals outscored the Golden Flashes 26-6 over the last nine and a half minutes of the half and took a 35-28 lead into the break.
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"Miryne's doing a good job," Whitford said. "It's been a hard year for him, and I'm super proud of him. Needless to say, we were hurting at that point in the game. He came in and hit a couple big 3's for us, and it was a real big moment in the game."
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Mallers opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and Ball State controlled things the rest of the way. Kent State rallied to within five at 59-54 with 3:00 left, but the Cardinals answered the bell, holding the Flashes scoreless from there on out.
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Philip Whittington led Kent State with 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Flashes finished the night just 1-for-20 from 3-point range. Troy Simons entered the game with more 3's than any player in the MAC but made only 1-of-6 attempts.
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Ball State, on the other hand, hit 10-of-27 from beyond the arc with Teague often finding open shooters out of the post.
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Ball State will return to action Saturday with a 4 p.m. tipoff at Western Michigan on ESPN3. It will be the Cardinals' sixth road game in the past eight contests. The team will then play five of its next seven at home.
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BSU had lost 11 straight on Kent State's home floor. Hadn't won there since 1999. Went to overtime on the last visit but couldn't get it.
Â
On Tuesday night, the Cardinals exorcised the demons.
Â
Ball State (13-9, 6-3 MAC) shook off a slow start to overcome a 13-point deficit and grab the lead by halftime. The Cardinals never trailed after the break on the way to a 62-54 victory.
Â
"It's a huge win," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "Twenty years. I think it tells you how good Kent has been for how long. At the end of the day, most importantly, it puts us at 6-3 through the first half of the conference and gets us a big road win."
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Ball State handed Kent State (16-7, 6-4 MAC) just its second home loss of the season and did it behind another big all-around performance from Tahjai Teague. The fifth-year senior scored 12 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and handed out six assists.
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THE FLUSH!!!
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 5, 2020
Tahj to Ish for the throwdown!#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsKSU pic.twitter.com/elPHnwRBa4
But make no mistake. This was a total team effort.
Â
Kyle Mallers led the way with 16 points, hitting 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Jarron Coleman scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. And Brachen Hazen pulled down a career-high 10 boards.
Â
The guy who really sparked the Cardinals, though, was Miryne Thomas. BSU hadn't made much of anything and trailed 22-9 midway through the first half. Thomas, having recently checked into just his third MAC game, lined up a 3-pointer from the right wing. It was true.
Â
On the next possession, he dialed one up from the left wing. Nothing but net. Ball State had found some flow, and it lasted. The Cardinals outscored the Golden Flashes 26-6 over the last nine and a half minutes of the half and took a 35-28 lead into the break.
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Miryne comes off the bench and quickly drains back-to-back triples ... Clawing our way back in Kent.#ChirpChirp | #WeFly | #BSUvsKSU pic.twitter.com/7iylcCKdjC
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 5, 2020
"Miryne's doing a good job," Whitford said. "It's been a hard year for him, and I'm super proud of him. Needless to say, we were hurting at that point in the game. He came in and hit a couple big 3's for us, and it was a real big moment in the game."
Â
Mallers opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and Ball State controlled things the rest of the way. Kent State rallied to within five at 59-54 with 3:00 left, but the Cardinals answered the bell, holding the Flashes scoreless from there on out.
Â
Philip Whittington led Kent State with 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Flashes finished the night just 1-for-20 from 3-point range. Troy Simons entered the game with more 3's than any player in the MAC but made only 1-of-6 attempts.
Â
Ball State, on the other hand, hit 10-of-27 from beyond the arc with Teague often finding open shooters out of the post.
Â
Ball State will return to action Saturday with a 4 p.m. tipoff at Western Michigan on ESPN3. It will be the Cardinals' sixth road game in the past eight contests. The team will then play five of its next seven at home.
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Tahjai Teague went for 12 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists tonight. He breaks down the Cardinals' win in a tough environment at Kent State. ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/jaAftLrwkB
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 5, 2020
?? Go inside the locker room following tonight's win at Kent State. Great team effort and big love to Miryne Thomas for a huge spark when we really needed it. pic.twitter.com/7TghM1d90b
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 5, 2020
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Team Stats
BSU
KentSt
FG%
.328
.383
3FG%
.370
.050
FT%
.636
.467
RB
40
44
TO
12
11
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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