Tuesday, December 21
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Ball State University
5-6,0-0MAC
75
vs
55
Eastern Illinois
2-11,0-0OVC
1
2
F
Eastern Ill.
36
19
55
Ball State
37
38
75
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Fly High in Win Over Panthers
December 21, 2021 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena on Tuesday against Eastern Illinois. The Cardinals defeated the Panthers 75-55 in front of the largest crowd this season. BSU improved to 5-6, while EIU fell to 2-11.
The Cardinals are now 4-0 at home this season and were led by Payton Sparks with a career-high 16 points and he added eight rebounds. Miryne Thomas tied a season-best mark with 14 points and had three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Luke Bumbalough finished in double digits for the eighth time this season with a 13-point performance. Bumbalough chipped in with five assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. was the final player in double figures with 10 points. Pearson picked up three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Tyler Cochran was an absolute force on the defensive side of the ball as he produced 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals, all were game highs.
Cochran got the game started with a steal and a fast-break layup. After the Panthers scored their first points of the game, Cochran came back down and drained a 3-pointer. On Ball State's next possession, Cochran found Sparks for a layup. Cochran contributed in BSU's first seven points. Thomas added two free throws to extend the Cardinal run to 9-2 to start the game.
The Panthers battled back and took a 19-18 lead with 9:30 left in the first half. Eastern Illinois managed to gain an eight-point lead, 36-28, with just over three minutes left in the first stanza. Ball State was unfazed and regained a 37-36 lead as the game went to the break.
The Cardinals started the second half on fire and opened the period on a 13-2 run. During the run, Bumbalough hit two 3-pointers and Thomas added a 3-ball of his own.
Eastern Illinois was able to cut the Ball State lead to nine, 52-43, with 12:07 left in regulation.
The Cardinals began to pick up the intensity on the defensive end of the court and it really caused the Panthers to struggle the remainder of the game. At the offensive end of the floor, Ball State continued to have success and saw its lead reach as many as 22 points, 75-53, with 1:22 left in the game. BSU went on to win the contest 75-55.
As a team, Ball State outrebounded Eastern Illinois, 32-27. The Cardinals held a 20-12 advantage in turnovers, which led to 21 points off turnovers with 11 points coming via the fast break.
Kejuan Clements posted a game-high 17 points. Paul Bizimana was the only other Panther in double figures with 13 and he added a team-high seven rebounds. Bizimana blocked a game-high three shots.
The Cardinals make their final trip to Illinois for the regular season for the Mid-American Conference opener against Northern Illinois. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tip on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"It's really neat. One of the things I want them to do is grow all the time. You're always trying to get better. What can you learn this year? It's good to hear Miryne think that way and I think he has that right now. I'm watching him grow as much as he's grown for us. We've been a funny team. At one point, we had the third-best win in the conference with our win against UMass from an RPI and Net Ranking. We've got some losses that are head scratchers. I like the attitude of our team. The attitude and work ethic of our leadership guys stand out along with the freshmen on how they approach the game every day. That will get us where we want to go. We're still learning, but I thought you saw a group tonight that played really well. We have to find our identity defensively. I thought we did that tonight and we have to be more consistent on that side of the ball. This team is a really fun group, and they have a chance to be a really special group. We're working our tail off and we're a fun group to watch."
From the Student-Athletes – Redshirt Junior Forward #0 Miryne Thomas
"Coming into the game, our initial game plan was to try to speed them up. We forced 20 turnovers as a team. We were trying to speed them up and try to get some defense to offense possessions. We were able to do that more in the second half. We could have done better with our non-conference schedule. We dominated when we had the chance to and took advantage of teams as we can when we shoot well."
From the Student-Athletes – Freshman Center #5 Payton Sparks
"Our ball pressure in the second half allowed us to break away. We upped our defense in the second half and only let them score 19 points. That's a big reason for us and we got good shots on offense. I would say we could have done better in the non-conference schedule too. We're just taking steps in the right direction, and I've got trust in the team."
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The Cardinals are now 4-0 at home this season and were led by Payton Sparks with a career-high 16 points and he added eight rebounds. Miryne Thomas tied a season-best mark with 14 points and had three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Luke Bumbalough finished in double digits for the eighth time this season with a 13-point performance. Bumbalough chipped in with five assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. was the final player in double figures with 10 points. Pearson picked up three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Tyler Cochran was an absolute force on the defensive side of the ball as he produced 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals, all were game highs.
Cochran got the game started with a steal and a fast-break layup. After the Panthers scored their first points of the game, Cochran came back down and drained a 3-pointer. On Ball State's next possession, Cochran found Sparks for a layup. Cochran contributed in BSU's first seven points. Thomas added two free throws to extend the Cardinal run to 9-2 to start the game.
The Panthers battled back and took a 19-18 lead with 9:30 left in the first half. Eastern Illinois managed to gain an eight-point lead, 36-28, with just over three minutes left in the first stanza. Ball State was unfazed and regained a 37-36 lead as the game went to the break.
The Cardinals started the second half on fire and opened the period on a 13-2 run. During the run, Bumbalough hit two 3-pointers and Thomas added a 3-ball of his own.
Eastern Illinois was able to cut the Ball State lead to nine, 52-43, with 12:07 left in regulation.
The Cardinals began to pick up the intensity on the defensive end of the court and it really caused the Panthers to struggle the remainder of the game. At the offensive end of the floor, Ball State continued to have success and saw its lead reach as many as 22 points, 75-53, with 1:22 left in the game. BSU went on to win the contest 75-55.
As a team, Ball State outrebounded Eastern Illinois, 32-27. The Cardinals held a 20-12 advantage in turnovers, which led to 21 points off turnovers with 11 points coming via the fast break.
Kejuan Clements posted a game-high 17 points. Paul Bizimana was the only other Panther in double figures with 13 and he added a team-high seven rebounds. Bizimana blocked a game-high three shots.
The Cardinals make their final trip to Illinois for the regular season for the Mid-American Conference opener against Northern Illinois. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tip on Tuesday, Dec. 28.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"It's really neat. One of the things I want them to do is grow all the time. You're always trying to get better. What can you learn this year? It's good to hear Miryne think that way and I think he has that right now. I'm watching him grow as much as he's grown for us. We've been a funny team. At one point, we had the third-best win in the conference with our win against UMass from an RPI and Net Ranking. We've got some losses that are head scratchers. I like the attitude of our team. The attitude and work ethic of our leadership guys stand out along with the freshmen on how they approach the game every day. That will get us where we want to go. We're still learning, but I thought you saw a group tonight that played really well. We have to find our identity defensively. I thought we did that tonight and we have to be more consistent on that side of the ball. This team is a really fun group, and they have a chance to be a really special group. We're working our tail off and we're a fun group to watch."
From the Student-Athletes – Redshirt Junior Forward #0 Miryne Thomas
"Coming into the game, our initial game plan was to try to speed them up. We forced 20 turnovers as a team. We were trying to speed them up and try to get some defense to offense possessions. We were able to do that more in the second half. We could have done better with our non-conference schedule. We dominated when we had the chance to and took advantage of teams as we can when we shoot well."
From the Student-Athletes – Freshman Center #5 Payton Sparks
"Our ball pressure in the second half allowed us to break away. We upped our defense in the second half and only let them score 19 points. That's a big reason for us and we got good shots on offense. I would say we could have done better in the non-conference schedule too. We're just taking steps in the right direction, and I've got trust in the team."
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
Team Stats
EIU
BSU
FG%
.439
.473
3FG%
.353
.304
FT%
.619
.640
RB
27
32
TO
20
12
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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