Tuesday, March 1
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Ball State University
13-16,8-10MAC
60
vs
79
Akron
20-9,13-6MAC
1
2
F
Akron
32
47
79
Ball St.
20
40
60
Photo by: BSU Photo Services
Ball State Drops Tough One on Senior Day
March 01, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team was back inside Worthen Arena for the last time in 2021-22 on Tuesday against Akron. The Cardinals were led by Tyler Cochran as he produced his second double-double of the season. Ball State fell to 13-16 overall and 8-10 in the Mid-American Conference, while Akron improved to 20-9 overall and 13-6 in conference play.
Prior to the game the Cardinals recognized Blake Huggins and Miryne Thomas on Senior Night.
Cochran led Ball State with 18 points and produced a team-high 10 rebounds on his way to his second double-double of the season. Cochran also notched the team's only steal. Demarius Jacobs was the only other Cardinal with double digits as he added 10 points with seven rebounds and the team's only block. Luke Bumbalough led the team with three assists and chipped in with nine points.
The game started out very slow as neither team was able to get things going. The score was 7-4 with 12:17 left in the first half. The Zips went on a 25-14 run to end the first half and take a 32-18 lead into the break.
Akron started the second half on a 9-0 run and gave the Zips their largest lead of the night, 41-20, with 16:19 left on the clock. The Cardinals did not give in and battled back. With 2:19 left in the game, BSU was only down by 11, 71-60. Unfortunately, Akron scored the game's final eight points and won the game 79-60.
As a unit, Ball State outrebounded Akron 37-31. The Cardinals held a 20-16 advantage in points in the paint as well as second-chance points, 13-11.
Xavier Castaneda collected a game-high 22 points. Enrique Freeman produced a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Ali Ali finished the game with 16 points. Mikal Dawson closed out the double-digit scoring with 11 points along with a game-high four steals.
Ball State finishes the regular season on Friday, March 4, with a road trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a matchup with Western Michigan. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"We dug ourselves a hole early. Akron's defense is a unique style. I thought our guys competed really hard. We made some uncharacteristic decisions. Credit to Akron, I thought they played a really good game. We weren't quite resilient on the defensive end as I would have liked. As we started to come back, we had struggles on offense and that's okay, it happens."
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*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here. Ball State has secured a spot in the MAC Tournament and tickets can be purchased here.
Prior to the game the Cardinals recognized Blake Huggins and Miryne Thomas on Senior Night.
Cochran led Ball State with 18 points and produced a team-high 10 rebounds on his way to his second double-double of the season. Cochran also notched the team's only steal. Demarius Jacobs was the only other Cardinal with double digits as he added 10 points with seven rebounds and the team's only block. Luke Bumbalough led the team with three assists and chipped in with nine points.
The game started out very slow as neither team was able to get things going. The score was 7-4 with 12:17 left in the first half. The Zips went on a 25-14 run to end the first half and take a 32-18 lead into the break.
Akron started the second half on a 9-0 run and gave the Zips their largest lead of the night, 41-20, with 16:19 left on the clock. The Cardinals did not give in and battled back. With 2:19 left in the game, BSU was only down by 11, 71-60. Unfortunately, Akron scored the game's final eight points and won the game 79-60.
As a unit, Ball State outrebounded Akron 37-31. The Cardinals held a 20-16 advantage in points in the paint as well as second-chance points, 13-11.
Xavier Castaneda collected a game-high 22 points. Enrique Freeman produced a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Ali Ali finished the game with 16 points. Mikal Dawson closed out the double-digit scoring with 11 points along with a game-high four steals.
Ball State finishes the regular season on Friday, March 4, with a road trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a matchup with Western Michigan. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.
From the Coach – Head Coach James Whitford
"We dug ourselves a hole early. Akron's defense is a unique style. I thought our guys competed really hard. We made some uncharacteristic decisions. Credit to Akron, I thought they played a really good game. We weren't quite resilient on the defensive end as I would have liked. As we started to come back, we had struggles on offense and that's okay, it happens."
Follow the Cardinals
*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here. Ball State has secured a spot in the MAC Tournament and tickets can be purchased here.
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Team Stats
UA
BSU
FG%
.436
.346
3FG%
.423
.368
FT%
.800
.850
RB
31
37
TO
7
15
STL
8
1
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
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