Tuesday, February 1
Athens, Ohio
7 p.m.
Ball State University
63
at
87
Ohio
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Drop Road Contest to Bobcats
February 01, 2022 | Men's Basketball
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ball State men's basketball team was back on the hardwood on Tuesday inside the Convocation Center for a Mid-American Conference matchup with Ohio. The Cardinals fell to the Bobcats 87-63.
Jalen Windham produced a career-high 17 points coming off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Payton Sparks picked up his fifth double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Jaylin Sellers ripped a team-high three steals. Demarius Jacobs, Basheer Jihad, Sparks and Sellers all tied for a team-best two assists. Miryne Thomas and Mickey Pearson Jr. each produced a block for the Cardinals.
The game started as a back-and-forth battle that featured three ties. After the game was tied 23-23 with 8:38 left in the half, the Bobcats held the Cardinals scoreless for the remainder of the stanza. Ohio ended the half on a 21-0 run and took a 44-23 lead into the break.
The second half started how the first half ended. BSU was held scoreless from the field for the first 5:03 of the second. The lone point was a Sparks free throw. Ohio was on a 31-1 run that lasted for 12:21. Sparks ended the Cardinal scoring drought from the field with a dunk with just under 15 minutes left in regulation.
In the final 14:33 of the game, Ball State managed to outscore Ohio 37-33, but the 31-1 run by the Bobcats was too much to overcome. OU knocked off BSU 87-63.
Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas tied for a game-high 18 points for the Bobcats. The Cardinal defense held the MAC's second-leading scorer Mark Sears to just 13 points. Sears and Vander Plas tied for a team-high six rebounds. Vander Plas added a game-high four steals.
Ball State returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a nationally televised contest against Toledo on Friday. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"What we talk about in moments like that is paint touches. It's been biting us all year. When we went to FIU and Weber State we played really well for 32 minutes and then in crunch time when the game started to go south and we felt the pressure, our response was to make individual plays to crawl back in and not make collective plays. We want to play what we call paint touch basketball where it's a paint touch to Payton or it's a drive to two feet in the box. We've gotten better, but it's still with us. It happened at Toledo when we played up there. When the game starts to go hard for us, that's when we need to lock in and have a great possession and not try to get it back by let me shoot this 3 and hope it goes in and then everything will take care of itself, and we'll start catching up."
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*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
Jalen Windham produced a career-high 17 points coming off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Payton Sparks picked up his fifth double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Jaylin Sellers ripped a team-high three steals. Demarius Jacobs, Basheer Jihad, Sparks and Sellers all tied for a team-best two assists. Miryne Thomas and Mickey Pearson Jr. each produced a block for the Cardinals.
The game started as a back-and-forth battle that featured three ties. After the game was tied 23-23 with 8:38 left in the half, the Bobcats held the Cardinals scoreless for the remainder of the stanza. Ohio ended the half on a 21-0 run and took a 44-23 lead into the break.
The second half started how the first half ended. BSU was held scoreless from the field for the first 5:03 of the second. The lone point was a Sparks free throw. Ohio was on a 31-1 run that lasted for 12:21. Sparks ended the Cardinal scoring drought from the field with a dunk with just under 15 minutes left in regulation.
In the final 14:33 of the game, Ball State managed to outscore Ohio 37-33, but the 31-1 run by the Bobcats was too much to overcome. OU knocked off BSU 87-63.
Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas tied for a game-high 18 points for the Bobcats. The Cardinal defense held the MAC's second-leading scorer Mark Sears to just 13 points. Sears and Vander Plas tied for a team-high six rebounds. Vander Plas added a game-high four steals.
Ball State returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a nationally televised contest against Toledo on Friday. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"What we talk about in moments like that is paint touches. It's been biting us all year. When we went to FIU and Weber State we played really well for 32 minutes and then in crunch time when the game started to go south and we felt the pressure, our response was to make individual plays to crawl back in and not make collective plays. We want to play what we call paint touch basketball where it's a paint touch to Payton or it's a drive to two feet in the box. We've gotten better, but it's still with us. It happened at Toledo when we played up there. When the game starts to go hard for us, that's when we need to lock in and have a great possession and not try to get it back by let me shoot this 3 and hope it goes in and then everything will take care of itself, and we'll start catching up."
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
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