Wednesday, December 21
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Ball State University
8-4,0-0MAC
58
vs
54
Georgia Southern
7-6,0-0Sun Belt
1
2
F
Ga. Southern
24
30
54
Ball St.
17
41
58
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Erase 14-point Deficit in Comeback Win Over Eagles
December 21, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State returned to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a midweek contest with Georgia Southern. Jaylin Sellers produced a game-high 17 points to pace the Cardinals in a 58-54 victory.
Ball State improved to 8-4 overall, while Georgia Southern dropped to 7-6 on the year.
"It gave us an opportunity to win, down 14 (the 16-0 run in the second half)," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "It was looking real nasty and it gave us an opportunity to win. We got some stops defensively, some long rebounds, and turnovers got us going in transition. It opened up some things for us and put us back in a situation to win the game. Then we executed down the stretch. The film is not going to be pretty. We've talked about offense not being an issue for us, it was tonight because I don't think our approach was great. I'm really proud of being down 14 and making the run to finish the game. That is growth, not only for this team, but this program. To be able to win in that fashion was really good."
Sellers led all scorers with 17 and tied for a team-high seven rebounds for BSU. He added an assist and a steal. Jarron Coleman chipped in with 12 points with three rebounds and three assists. Basheer Jihad finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and one block. Demarius Jacobs recorded a career-high four blocks to go along with his 11 points, six rebounds, and game-high four assists. Payton Sparks and Mickey Pearson Jr. each brought down seven boards.
Sellers started the game on fire scoring the team's first eight points as the Cardinals trailed the Eagles 9-8 with 13:07 left in the half. During that span, Sellers recorded a steal and a fast-break slam.
The first stanza of action was a low-scoring affair as Georgia Southern held a 24-17 lead at the break.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 14-7 run. The run led to a Georgia Southern 14-point lead, 38-24, with 16:01 left in play.
After a 30-second timeout, things started to click for the Cardinals. Ball State came out of the timeout with intensity and went on a 16-0 run. The Cardinals took a 40-38 lead and during the run, Ball State held Georgia Southern scoreless for 4:50 of game time. Coleman and Jacobs led the way during the run with seven and five points, respectively.
With 10:56 left in regulation, the Eagles tied the game 40-40. Georgia Southern started to gain some momentum and took a 45-42 lead with 7:15 left to play.
Ball State was resilient and reclaimed a 46-45 lead after Coleman knocked down two big free throws. The next Cardinal possession, Sellers drove to the hoop and was fouled on a made layup. He converted the and-1 to extend the BSU lead to 49-45 with just under six minutes left to play.
Sparks made a free throw and gave Ball State a 52-49 lead with 2:30 left on the clock. After a BSU turnover, Jacobs came up with a huge block on the defensive end of the court to keep Ball State's lead at 52-49. Jacobs did not stop there, with four seconds left to play he recorded another big block.
Free throws ended up being pivotal down the stretch as the Cardinals went 6-of-7 from the stripe and won the game 58-54.
Carlos Curry tied for a team-high 13 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Eagles. Tai Strickland also collected 13 points with five rebounds, a team-high three steals, and one assist. Kamari Archie closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Ball State returns to action one more time before the New Year with a matchup against Chicago State on Dec. 28. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Muncie.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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Ball State improved to 8-4 overall, while Georgia Southern dropped to 7-6 on the year.
"It gave us an opportunity to win, down 14 (the 16-0 run in the second half)," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "It was looking real nasty and it gave us an opportunity to win. We got some stops defensively, some long rebounds, and turnovers got us going in transition. It opened up some things for us and put us back in a situation to win the game. Then we executed down the stretch. The film is not going to be pretty. We've talked about offense not being an issue for us, it was tonight because I don't think our approach was great. I'm really proud of being down 14 and making the run to finish the game. That is growth, not only for this team, but this program. To be able to win in that fashion was really good."
Sellers led all scorers with 17 and tied for a team-high seven rebounds for BSU. He added an assist and a steal. Jarron Coleman chipped in with 12 points with three rebounds and three assists. Basheer Jihad finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and one block. Demarius Jacobs recorded a career-high four blocks to go along with his 11 points, six rebounds, and game-high four assists. Payton Sparks and Mickey Pearson Jr. each brought down seven boards.
Sellers started the game on fire scoring the team's first eight points as the Cardinals trailed the Eagles 9-8 with 13:07 left in the half. During that span, Sellers recorded a steal and a fast-break slam.
The first stanza of action was a low-scoring affair as Georgia Southern held a 24-17 lead at the break.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 14-7 run. The run led to a Georgia Southern 14-point lead, 38-24, with 16:01 left in play.
After a 30-second timeout, things started to click for the Cardinals. Ball State came out of the timeout with intensity and went on a 16-0 run. The Cardinals took a 40-38 lead and during the run, Ball State held Georgia Southern scoreless for 4:50 of game time. Coleman and Jacobs led the way during the run with seven and five points, respectively.
With 10:56 left in regulation, the Eagles tied the game 40-40. Georgia Southern started to gain some momentum and took a 45-42 lead with 7:15 left to play.
Ball State was resilient and reclaimed a 46-45 lead after Coleman knocked down two big free throws. The next Cardinal possession, Sellers drove to the hoop and was fouled on a made layup. He converted the and-1 to extend the BSU lead to 49-45 with just under six minutes left to play.
.@JaylinSellers with a huge and-1 to give the Cardinals a 49-45 lead!!#ChirpChirp x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/FcFflxAMGh
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) December 22, 2022
Sparks made a free throw and gave Ball State a 52-49 lead with 2:30 left on the clock. After a BSU turnover, Jacobs came up with a huge block on the defensive end of the court to keep Ball State's lead at 52-49. Jacobs did not stop there, with four seconds left to play he recorded another big block.
.@_Demariusjacobs with a huge block ??#ChirpChirp x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/DV1SclFEDg
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) December 22, 2022
Free throws ended up being pivotal down the stretch as the Cardinals went 6-of-7 from the stripe and won the game 58-54.
Carlos Curry tied for a team-high 13 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Eagles. Tai Strickland also collected 13 points with five rebounds, a team-high three steals, and one assist. Kamari Archie closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Ball State returns to action one more time before the New Year with a matchup against Chicago State on Dec. 28. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Muncie.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
Team Stats
GS
BSU
FG%
.333
.362
3FG%
.143
.318
FT%
.824
.630
RB
36
40
TO
9
17
STL
7
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
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