Saturday, January 29
Muncie, Ind.
3:30 p.m.
Ball State University
10-10,5-4MAC
83
vs
72
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Western Michigan
4-16,0-9MAC
1
2
F
Western Mich.
39
33
72
Ball St.
46
37
83
Photo by: BSU Photo Services
Cardinals Extend Winning Streak to Three Games with Win Over Broncos
January 29, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team extended its winning streak to three games on Saturday against Western Michigan. Miryne Thomas had a team-high 18 points as the Cardinals defeated the Broncos 83-72.
BSU improved to 10-10 on the season and 5-4 in Mid-American Conference, while WMU fell to 4-16 overall and 0-9 in conference action. For the second time this season the Cardinals finished a game with five players in double figures.
Thomas led the way with 18 points, for his sixth-consecutive game in double figures. Tyler Cochran tallied his fifth-straight game in double digits behind a 13-point effort. Luke Bumbalough added 13 points, while Demarius Jacobs went for 11 points. Payton Sparks picked up his fourth double-double, behind 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bumbalough and Cochran tied for a game-high three assists and a game-high two steals. Cochran, Thomas, and Basheer Jihad all tied for second on the team with four rebounds.
The Cardinals started the game on fire. BSU opened the first half with a 17-2 run, led by Bumbalough and Jacobs, each with five points. During the stretch, Ball State shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Cardinals' lead of 15 was their largest of the game.
WMU answered with a 14-7 run to pull within eight, 24-16, with 10:50 left in the first half. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 13-7 run. During the run, BSU went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from long distance. Thomas, Bumbalough, and Jaylin Sellers each drained a 3-pointer.
WMU ended the first half with five unanswered points to pull within seven, 46-39.
The Broncos came out running on all cylinders and opened the second half on a 10-0 run. Combined with the end of the first half, WMU scored 15-straight points.
After a much-needed timeout, the Cardinals picked up the intensity and rattled off a 12-2 run to regain the lead, 58-51, with 12:49 left in the game. The Broncos managed to pull within one, 60-59, but BSU responded with an 8-2 run and held a 68-61 lead with 8:50 left in regulation.
The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth battle. With the Cardinals up 81-71, a heads up play by Cochran on an in-bound play from under the WMU basket led to an easy fast-break slam dunk by Thomas to seal the victory for BSU. Ball State defeated Western Michigan 83-72.
As a team, the Cardinals shot 58.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Ball State was tough on the glass as it held a 29-19 advantage in rebounding over Western Michigan. BSU was dominant on the offensive boards, which led to a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points. Points in the paint was a big factor in the game as Ball State outscored Western Michigan, 40-26.
Lamar Norman Jr. recorded a game-high 22 points to lead WMU and added a rebound and an assist. B. Artis White posted a 21-point effort with two rebounds, a steal, and tied for a game-high three assists. Markeese Hastings and Mileek McMillan each tallied 10 points. Hastings collected a team-high nine rebounds. McMillan and Mack Smith tied for a game-high two steals.
The Cardinals are back on the road for another MAC contest on Tuesday, Feb. 1, in Athens, Ohio. Ball State is slated to face Ohio at 7 p.m.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"Great win! Great win to wrap up a great week for us. To Western's credit, they fought for 40 minutes. They have two guards (Lamar Norman and B. Artis White) who are as capable as anyone in the league offensively from behind the arc. We had to withstand a heck of a performance from both of those guys. I really thought in grit time, we won it with toughness plays. We won it with big rebounds, great transition defense. Our grit and our fight down the stretch was the defense. I'm really impressed with this team. Unless it's a tournament at one venue, I don't ever remember playing three games in five days. Keep in mind, we got home around 4:15 in the morning on Friday. For us to flip it around and have the fight is huge. It was a great week for us."
From the Student-Athlete – Redshirt Junior #0 Miryne Thomas
"Our confidence is really high. We use the term Ubuntu, we learned it from the Celtics when they went on their championship run. It means I am because we are. That's what we believe in and that's what's been carrying us, having our togetherness on the court. During this three-game winning streak, we've been together. We've been mostly together on defense and the offense has reflected the defensive intensity. We just told ourselves during their run that if we get back to playing defense together, the offense will open back up."
From the Student-Athlete – Sophomore #23 Tyler Cochran
"Togetherness, we're here for each other. (Message at timeout on WMU's run to start the second half) Stay together. Stay the course. We know basketball is a game of runs. It was their turn to make a run. We have to withstand it. Play together and each other. I want to give thanks to our strength and conditioning coach, Collin Michael, for putting us in position to withstand three games in five days. Without him, I don't think we'd be ready physically."
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*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
BSU improved to 10-10 on the season and 5-4 in Mid-American Conference, while WMU fell to 4-16 overall and 0-9 in conference action. For the second time this season the Cardinals finished a game with five players in double figures.
Thomas led the way with 18 points, for his sixth-consecutive game in double figures. Tyler Cochran tallied his fifth-straight game in double digits behind a 13-point effort. Luke Bumbalough added 13 points, while Demarius Jacobs went for 11 points. Payton Sparks picked up his fourth double-double, behind 11 points and 10 rebounds. Bumbalough and Cochran tied for a game-high three assists and a game-high two steals. Cochran, Thomas, and Basheer Jihad all tied for second on the team with four rebounds.
The Cardinals started the game on fire. BSU opened the first half with a 17-2 run, led by Bumbalough and Jacobs, each with five points. During the stretch, Ball State shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Cardinals' lead of 15 was their largest of the game.
WMU answered with a 14-7 run to pull within eight, 24-16, with 10:50 left in the first half. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 13-7 run. During the run, BSU went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from long distance. Thomas, Bumbalough, and Jaylin Sellers each drained a 3-pointer.
WMU ended the first half with five unanswered points to pull within seven, 46-39.
The Broncos came out running on all cylinders and opened the second half on a 10-0 run. Combined with the end of the first half, WMU scored 15-straight points.
After a much-needed timeout, the Cardinals picked up the intensity and rattled off a 12-2 run to regain the lead, 58-51, with 12:49 left in the game. The Broncos managed to pull within one, 60-59, but BSU responded with an 8-2 run and held a 68-61 lead with 8:50 left in regulation.
The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth battle. With the Cardinals up 81-71, a heads up play by Cochran on an in-bound play from under the WMU basket led to an easy fast-break slam dunk by Thomas to seal the victory for BSU. Ball State defeated Western Michigan 83-72.
As a team, the Cardinals shot 58.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range. Ball State was tough on the glass as it held a 29-19 advantage in rebounding over Western Michigan. BSU was dominant on the offensive boards, which led to a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points. Points in the paint was a big factor in the game as Ball State outscored Western Michigan, 40-26.
Lamar Norman Jr. recorded a game-high 22 points to lead WMU and added a rebound and an assist. B. Artis White posted a 21-point effort with two rebounds, a steal, and tied for a game-high three assists. Markeese Hastings and Mileek McMillan each tallied 10 points. Hastings collected a team-high nine rebounds. McMillan and Mack Smith tied for a game-high two steals.
The Cardinals are back on the road for another MAC contest on Tuesday, Feb. 1, in Athens, Ohio. Ball State is slated to face Ohio at 7 p.m.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"Great win! Great win to wrap up a great week for us. To Western's credit, they fought for 40 minutes. They have two guards (Lamar Norman and B. Artis White) who are as capable as anyone in the league offensively from behind the arc. We had to withstand a heck of a performance from both of those guys. I really thought in grit time, we won it with toughness plays. We won it with big rebounds, great transition defense. Our grit and our fight down the stretch was the defense. I'm really impressed with this team. Unless it's a tournament at one venue, I don't ever remember playing three games in five days. Keep in mind, we got home around 4:15 in the morning on Friday. For us to flip it around and have the fight is huge. It was a great week for us."
From the Student-Athlete – Redshirt Junior #0 Miryne Thomas
"Our confidence is really high. We use the term Ubuntu, we learned it from the Celtics when they went on their championship run. It means I am because we are. That's what we believe in and that's what's been carrying us, having our togetherness on the court. During this three-game winning streak, we've been together. We've been mostly together on defense and the offense has reflected the defensive intensity. We just told ourselves during their run that if we get back to playing defense together, the offense will open back up."
From the Student-Athlete – Sophomore #23 Tyler Cochran
"Togetherness, we're here for each other. (Message at timeout on WMU's run to start the second half) Stay together. Stay the course. We know basketball is a game of runs. It was their turn to make a run. We have to withstand it. Play together and each other. I want to give thanks to our strength and conditioning coach, Collin Michael, for putting us in position to withstand three games in five days. Without him, I don't think we'd be ready physically."
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
Team Stats
WMU
BSU
FG%
.558
.585
3FG%
.435
.500
FT%
.824
.579
RB
19
29
TO
16
14
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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