Friday, February 4
Muncie, Ind.
9 p.m.
Ball State University
11-11,6-5MAC
93
vs
83
Toledo
18-5,10-2MAC
1
2
F
Toledo
45
38
83
Ball St.
51
42
93
Photo by: BSU Photo Services
Cardinals Featured Six Players in Double Figures to End Rockets’ Nine-Game Winning Streak
February 05, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team fed off the energy from the BSU student section and a large crowd on Friday against Toledo for #MuncieOut. The Cardinals had six players record double-digit points for the first time since 2018, as Ball State ended Toledo's nine-game winning streak behind a 93-83 victory.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 11-11 overall and 6-5 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Rockets fall to 18-5 overall and 10-2 in conference action.
Payton Sparks, Luke Bumbalough, Tyler Cochran, Demarius Jacobs, Miryne Thomas, and Jaylin Sellers all scored in double figures. Sparks led the way with 18 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, which is second best in the MAC. Sparks dished out four assists. Bumbalough finished with 17 points, while shooting 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Cochran added a 15-point performance and collected eight rebounds. Jacobs notched 15 points and blocked one shot. Thomas tallied 14 points and tied for a game-high five assists, which is a career best, to go along with eight boards. Sellers posted an 11-point performance with four rebounds and an assist.
The game started as a back-and-forth battle that saw three ties and two lead changes in the first few minutes. With the score tied at 11-11, the Cardinals went on a 13-2 run to claim a 24-13 lead with 12:35 left in the first stanza. Toledo was able to close the gap in the final four minutes of the half with a 15-12 run and pulled within six, 51-45, at the break.
Both sides had a strong opening half, as they shot above 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. The Cardinals saw their largest lead of 20, 37-17, with 7:48 in the first, while Toledo's biggest lead was three, 11-8, with 16:50 on the clock in the first.
The second half started much slower than the first did, as Cochran picked up a layup and drew the foul at 18:23 in the second. He converted the and-1 to put Ball State on top, 54-45. Toledo followed with an 11-2 run and tied the game at, 56-56, with just under 15 minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals were resilient and responded with a 10-2 run to take a 66-58 lead with 11:36 left.
The Rockets answered with a 9-0 run and regained the lead, 67-66, with just over nine minutes left to play. Momentum shifted back to the Cardinals after Sellers drained a 3-pointer with 8:16 left to give BSU a 69-67 lead. The 3-pointer was the start of a 15-6 run for BSU and resulted in an 81-73 lead. The Cardinals did not allow the Rockets to pull within less than four points the remainder of the game and claimed a 93-83 victory.
Ball State held the lead for 35:28 for 88.7 percent of the game, while Toledo only had the lead for 2:16 and 5.7 percent. The BSU bench outscored the UT bench 14-10. The Cardinals held a slight advantage on fast breaks, with the 15-11 edge. As a team, Ball State shot 50.8 percent from the field and 48.3 from long range.
Ryan Rollins collected a game-high 22 points for UT to go along with his five rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Setric Millner Jr. added 21 points with seven boards, two assists, and a block. JT Shumate and RayJ Dennis finished with double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ra'Heim Moss brought down a team-high nine rebounds.
Ball State returns to Worthen Arena on Tuesday for a MAC matchup with Central Michigan. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 8.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"Heck of a win, I couldn't be more proud of our guys. It's been a huge focus for us managing the runs, and I thought tonight we did. It was great energy in the building, and it was fun, our guys fed off it, just a great environment. I thought we did a much better job of making them score over top of us in the second half than we did in the first and I thought that was the difference for us, we really defended in the second half. What's fun about coaching [Payton] is how good he is and how much better you know he's going to get. There're so many things he can keep getting better at and he does, and he works at it. He's a really good player and he's just scratching the surface."
From the Student-Athletes – Freshman Center #5 Payton Sparks
"It gives us great confidence. They are a really good team and well coached. That tells us that we can stay with anybody in the conference. We will keep working every day and we'll keep getting better. I feel very comfortable down low. I know they are going to hit shots when I look to them. It was amazing! I definitely felt it from the crowd, it was awesome. It was a great team game. We've been battling the whole season. We've kept working hard in practice and tonight it showed."
From the Student-Athletes – Sophomore Guard #2 Luke Bumbalough
"It feels really good! We know we have it in us. We hit a good stretch, playing together and unselfish. Toledo went on a run again tonight, but we handled it down the stretch. We stayed composed. It feels good to finally pull out a good win. We worked on paint touch basketball, getting it inside to Payton, playing inside out, and making sure we get inside. We have to continue to play unselfish and get it inside out. Guys were playing for each other, we were a family out there. We played together tonight and that's how we closed it out down the stretch."
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*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 11-11 overall and 6-5 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Rockets fall to 18-5 overall and 10-2 in conference action.
Payton Sparks, Luke Bumbalough, Tyler Cochran, Demarius Jacobs, Miryne Thomas, and Jaylin Sellers all scored in double figures. Sparks led the way with 18 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, which is second best in the MAC. Sparks dished out four assists. Bumbalough finished with 17 points, while shooting 5-for-9 from 3-point range. Cochran added a 15-point performance and collected eight rebounds. Jacobs notched 15 points and blocked one shot. Thomas tallied 14 points and tied for a game-high five assists, which is a career best, to go along with eight boards. Sellers posted an 11-point performance with four rebounds and an assist.
The game started as a back-and-forth battle that saw three ties and two lead changes in the first few minutes. With the score tied at 11-11, the Cardinals went on a 13-2 run to claim a 24-13 lead with 12:35 left in the first stanza. Toledo was able to close the gap in the final four minutes of the half with a 15-12 run and pulled within six, 51-45, at the break.
Both sides had a strong opening half, as they shot above 50 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. The Cardinals saw their largest lead of 20, 37-17, with 7:48 in the first, while Toledo's biggest lead was three, 11-8, with 16:50 on the clock in the first.
The second half started much slower than the first did, as Cochran picked up a layup and drew the foul at 18:23 in the second. He converted the and-1 to put Ball State on top, 54-45. Toledo followed with an 11-2 run and tied the game at, 56-56, with just under 15 minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals were resilient and responded with a 10-2 run to take a 66-58 lead with 11:36 left.
The Rockets answered with a 9-0 run and regained the lead, 67-66, with just over nine minutes left to play. Momentum shifted back to the Cardinals after Sellers drained a 3-pointer with 8:16 left to give BSU a 69-67 lead. The 3-pointer was the start of a 15-6 run for BSU and resulted in an 81-73 lead. The Cardinals did not allow the Rockets to pull within less than four points the remainder of the game and claimed a 93-83 victory.
Ball State held the lead for 35:28 for 88.7 percent of the game, while Toledo only had the lead for 2:16 and 5.7 percent. The BSU bench outscored the UT bench 14-10. The Cardinals held a slight advantage on fast breaks, with the 15-11 edge. As a team, Ball State shot 50.8 percent from the field and 48.3 from long range.
Ryan Rollins collected a game-high 22 points for UT to go along with his five rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Setric Millner Jr. added 21 points with seven boards, two assists, and a block. JT Shumate and RayJ Dennis finished with double digits with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ra'Heim Moss brought down a team-high nine rebounds.
Ball State returns to Worthen Arena on Tuesday for a MAC matchup with Central Michigan. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 8.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"Heck of a win, I couldn't be more proud of our guys. It's been a huge focus for us managing the runs, and I thought tonight we did. It was great energy in the building, and it was fun, our guys fed off it, just a great environment. I thought we did a much better job of making them score over top of us in the second half than we did in the first and I thought that was the difference for us, we really defended in the second half. What's fun about coaching [Payton] is how good he is and how much better you know he's going to get. There're so many things he can keep getting better at and he does, and he works at it. He's a really good player and he's just scratching the surface."
From the Student-Athletes – Freshman Center #5 Payton Sparks
"It gives us great confidence. They are a really good team and well coached. That tells us that we can stay with anybody in the conference. We will keep working every day and we'll keep getting better. I feel very comfortable down low. I know they are going to hit shots when I look to them. It was amazing! I definitely felt it from the crowd, it was awesome. It was a great team game. We've been battling the whole season. We've kept working hard in practice and tonight it showed."
From the Student-Athletes – Sophomore Guard #2 Luke Bumbalough
"It feels really good! We know we have it in us. We hit a good stretch, playing together and unselfish. Toledo went on a run again tonight, but we handled it down the stretch. We stayed composed. It feels good to finally pull out a good win. We worked on paint touch basketball, getting it inside to Payton, playing inside out, and making sure we get inside. We have to continue to play unselfish and get it inside out. Guys were playing for each other, we were a family out there. We played together tonight and that's how we closed it out down the stretch."
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.
Team Stats
UT
BSU
FG%
.442
.508
3FG%
.321
.483
FT%
.600
.773
RB
40
38
TO
4
7
STL
3
0
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballG
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/ Men's Basketball
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