Friday, January 6
Muncie, Ind.
8:30 p.m.
Ball State University
11-4,2-0MAC
70
vs
63
Akron
9-6,1-1MAC
1
2
F
Akron
31
32
63
Ball St.
30
40
70
Photo by: Samantha Blankenship / Ball State University
Ball State Extends Winning Streak to Seven Games with Win Over Akron
January 07, 2023 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – Jarron Coleman and Payton Sparks tied for a team-high 15 points as Ball State (11-4, 2-0 MAC) defeated Akron (9-6, 1-1 MAC), 70-63, Friday inside Worthen Arena. The Cardinals extended the winning streak to seven games.
Ball State improved to 11-4 and 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The Cardinals' seven-game winning streak is the longest since the 2017-18 team won nine in a row. The win also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Zips. In its first two MAC contests, Ball State defeated the tournament champions in Toledo and the regular season champions in Akron.
"First off, what a crowd," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "It's great to see the community come out. We want to build a program that the community and the state is proud of. Big thank you to the fans. They made an impact, got loud there late. That was a really good college basketball game. Really proud of how our guys fought in the second half. We outscored them 14-4 in the final seven minutes. You had two really good basketball teams competing against each other. Our guys made plays. I thought stops down the stretch were huge. We made some really good defensive plays. We had guys step up on the offensive end."
Sparks tied for a team-best 15 points and brought down a team-high eight rebounds. He made seven free throws and added two assists, a steal, and a block. Coleman dropped 15 points and has scored in double-figures in 14-straight contests. He collected six rebounds and produced one steal. Jaylin Sellers led the team with three blocks and tallied 13 points along with two rebounds. Basheer Jihad finished in double figures with 11 points with four rebounds and one assist. Demarius Jacobs dished out a team-high four assists and tied for a team-high two steals. He added eight points, three rebounds, and two blocks. Darian Owens-White tied for a team-best two steals.
The Cardinals came out of the gates fast and opened on a 7-0 run. The Zips answered with a 4-0 run as the game was 7-4 at the first media timeout with 15:59 left in the opening stanza. Akron added a 5-1 run and took its first lead, 9-8, with 13:38 left in the half.
With 11:40 on the clock, Ball State outscored Akron, 12-7, over the next 4:34 of play and claimed a 20-16 lead with 7:06 until the half. The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle as Akron held a 31-30 lead at the half.
The Zips opened the second half on a 5-2 run and extended their lead to 36-32. Ball State was resilient and battled back with a 5-0 run. Coleman knocked down a 3-pointer with 17:24 in the second half as the Cardinals regained the lead, 37-36.
The next 3:51 of play was a back-and-forth affair as both teams produced 10 points, which gave the Cardinals a 47-46 lead with 13:10 left in the game. The Zips rattled off an 8-0 run and took a 54-47 lead. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 16-7 run, capped off by a Sellers' 3-pointer as the Cardinals took a 63-61 lead with 4:07 left on the clock. BSU ended the game on a 7-2 run and claimed a 70-63 victory. During the final 10:25 of play, the Ball State defense was stout and held Akron to 0-of-7 from the field. All 11 of the Zips final points came from the free-throw line.
The Cardinals were strong on the glass again as they outrebounded the Zips 37-33, with 17 of them on the offensive side of the court. The offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points. Ball State capitalized on turnovers and scored 26 points off turnovers to Akron's 11.
Enrique Freeman posted a double-double for the Zips with 23 points and 14 rebounds, both a game high. He also led the team with two blocks, two steals, and one assist. Greg Trimble was the only other Akron player in double figures with 14.
Ball State takes to the road on Tuesday, Jan. 10, for a MAC matchup with Ohio. First tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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 11-4 and 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The Cardinals' seven-game winning streak is the longest since the 2017-18 team won nine in a row. The win also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Zips. In its first two MAC contests, Ball State defeated the tournament champions in Toledo and the regular season champions in Akron.
"First off, what a crowd," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "It's great to see the community come out. We want to build a program that the community and the state is proud of. Big thank you to the fans. They made an impact, got loud there late. That was a really good college basketball game. Really proud of how our guys fought in the second half. We outscored them 14-4 in the final seven minutes. You had two really good basketball teams competing against each other. Our guys made plays. I thought stops down the stretch were huge. We made some really good defensive plays. We had guys step up on the offensive end."
Sparks tied for a team-best 15 points and brought down a team-high eight rebounds. He made seven free throws and added two assists, a steal, and a block. Coleman dropped 15 points and has scored in double-figures in 14-straight contests. He collected six rebounds and produced one steal. Jaylin Sellers led the team with three blocks and tallied 13 points along with two rebounds. Basheer Jihad finished in double figures with 11 points with four rebounds and one assist. Demarius Jacobs dished out a team-high four assists and tied for a team-high two steals. He added eight points, three rebounds, and two blocks. Darian Owens-White tied for a team-best two steals.
The Cardinals came out of the gates fast and opened on a 7-0 run. The Zips answered with a 4-0 run as the game was 7-4 at the first media timeout with 15:59 left in the opening stanza. Akron added a 5-1 run and took its first lead, 9-8, with 13:38 left in the half.
With 11:40 on the clock, Ball State outscored Akron, 12-7, over the next 4:34 of play and claimed a 20-16 lead with 7:06 until the half. The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle as Akron held a 31-30 lead at the half.
The Zips opened the second half on a 5-2 run and extended their lead to 36-32. Ball State was resilient and battled back with a 5-0 run. Coleman knocked down a 3-pointer with 17:24 in the second half as the Cardinals regained the lead, 37-36.
The next 3:51 of play was a back-and-forth affair as both teams produced 10 points, which gave the Cardinals a 47-46 lead with 13:10 left in the game. The Zips rattled off an 8-0 run and took a 54-47 lead. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 16-7 run, capped off by a Sellers' 3-pointer as the Cardinals took a 63-61 lead with 4:07 left on the clock. BSU ended the game on a 7-2 run and claimed a 70-63 victory. During the final 10:25 of play, the Ball State defense was stout and held Akron to 0-of-7 from the field. All 11 of the Zips final points came from the free-throw line.
The Cardinals were strong on the glass again as they outrebounded the Zips 37-33, with 17 of them on the offensive side of the court. The offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points. Ball State capitalized on turnovers and scored 26 points off turnovers to Akron's 11.
Enrique Freeman posted a double-double for the Zips with 23 points and 14 rebounds, both a game high. He also led the team with two blocks, two steals, and one assist. Greg Trimble was the only other Akron player in double figures with 14.
Ball State takes to the road on Tuesday, Jan. 10, for a MAC matchup with Ohio. First tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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Team Stats
UA
BSU
FG%
.388
.397
3FG%
.250
.214
FT%
.846
.750
RB
33
37
TO
17
11
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
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