Saturday, February 11
Muncie, Ind.
2 p.m.
Ball State University
18-7,9-3MAC
93
vs
72
Bowling Green
10-15,4-8MAC
1
2
F
Bowling Green
33
39
72
Ball St.
49
44
93
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Win Fifth Straight, as Five BSU Players Score Double Figures
February 11, 2023 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for a Mid-American Conference contest with Bowling Green on Saturday. Payton Sparks led the Cardinals with 18 points as BSU defeated BGSU 93-72.
For the third-straight game, Ball State finished with five players in double digits. The Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games and are now 18-7 overall and 9-3 in MAC play. The Falcons fell to 10-15 overall and 4-8 in league play.
"I'm really proud of our approach and how we came out," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "Our attack in the first half, I thought was really efficient, especially when you can shoot 63 percent. They were bringing doubles Payton's way. He did a good job of recognizing the doubles, where they were coming from, and finding the open man. I think we had 12 assists on 17 field goals. We really did a great job of sharing it and defending. That gave us an opportunity to win the game. We're consistently trying to prepare to play the best team on your schedule. I think these guys have been outstanding all year learning how to win. Now they're handling success well. Overall, very pleased to get our fifth-straight win."
Sparks produced a team-high 18 points for his 18th game in double figures on the year. He finished 8-of-11 from the field. He led the team with eight rebounds and added three assists. Jaylin Sellers was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range and tallied 17 points, his 17th contest with double figures. Sellers led the team with two blocks to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Jarron Coleman posted a 13-point effort, his 21st game of the season in double figures. He brought down seven rebounds with four assists and a steal.
Kaiyem Cleary recorded his second game in double figures with 12. He chipped in with six rebounds and one block. Mickey Pearson Jr. collected 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Luke Bumbalough led the team with eight assists to go along with eight points.
Ball State came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and took a 9-2 lead with 16:54 left in the first stanza. The Falcons pulled within two points, 11-9, with a 7-2 run.
The Cardinals went on a 14-4 run, led by 12 points from Sellers (4-of-4 from 3), and extended their lead to 25-13 with 9:05 left in the half.
The Falcons scored the game's next five points, but the Cardinals answered with a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 34-18 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth battle as each team scored 15 points. Ball State took a 49-33 lead into the break.
Over the first 4:38 of the second half, BSU outscored BGSU 11-5 and extended its lead to 60-38. After Bowling Green free throw, Ball State scored eight unanswered to take a 68-39 lead with 13:52 left on the clock.
The Cardinals produced their largest lead of the night of 29 points, 74-45, with 11:36 left in regulation. Bowling Green responded with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to 78-58. BSU outscored BGSU 15-14 and went on to win 93-72.
Samari Curtis led BGSU with a game-high 20 points to go along with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Brenton Mills notched 14 points, two rebounds, and a steal. Chandler Turner closed out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. He added a team-high seven rebounds to go along with one assist and one steal.
Ball State remains home for a matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 14, as Northern Illinois comes to town. Jump is slated 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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For the third-straight game, Ball State finished with five players in double digits. The Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games and are now 18-7 overall and 9-3 in MAC play. The Falcons fell to 10-15 overall and 4-8 in league play.
"I'm really proud of our approach and how we came out," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "Our attack in the first half, I thought was really efficient, especially when you can shoot 63 percent. They were bringing doubles Payton's way. He did a good job of recognizing the doubles, where they were coming from, and finding the open man. I think we had 12 assists on 17 field goals. We really did a great job of sharing it and defending. That gave us an opportunity to win the game. We're consistently trying to prepare to play the best team on your schedule. I think these guys have been outstanding all year learning how to win. Now they're handling success well. Overall, very pleased to get our fifth-straight win."
Sparks produced a team-high 18 points for his 18th game in double figures on the year. He finished 8-of-11 from the field. He led the team with eight rebounds and added three assists. Jaylin Sellers was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range and tallied 17 points, his 17th contest with double figures. Sellers led the team with two blocks to go along with two assists and two rebounds. Jarron Coleman posted a 13-point effort, his 21st game of the season in double figures. He brought down seven rebounds with four assists and a steal.
Kaiyem Cleary recorded his second game in double figures with 12. He chipped in with six rebounds and one block. Mickey Pearson Jr. collected 11 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Luke Bumbalough led the team with eight assists to go along with eight points.
Ball State came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and took a 9-2 lead with 16:54 left in the first stanza. The Falcons pulled within two points, 11-9, with a 7-2 run.
The Cardinals went on a 14-4 run, led by 12 points from Sellers (4-of-4 from 3), and extended their lead to 25-13 with 9:05 left in the half.
.@PaytonSparks6 finds an open @JaylinSellers for 3?????? Sellers is 4-for-4 from 3!!#ChirpChirp x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/XMBQ3VFZax— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 11, 2023
The Falcons scored the game's next five points, but the Cardinals answered with a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 34-18 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth battle as each team scored 15 points. Ball State took a 49-33 lead into the break.
Over the first 4:38 of the second half, BSU outscored BGSU 11-5 and extended its lead to 60-38. After Bowling Green free throw, Ball State scored eight unanswered to take a 68-39 lead with 13:52 left on the clock.
The Cardinals produced their largest lead of the night of 29 points, 74-45, with 11:36 left in regulation. Bowling Green responded with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to 78-58. BSU outscored BGSU 15-14 and went on to win 93-72.
Samari Curtis led BGSU with a game-high 20 points to go along with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Brenton Mills notched 14 points, two rebounds, and a steal. Chandler Turner closed out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. He added a team-high seven rebounds to go along with one assist and one steal.
Ball State remains home for a matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 14, as Northern Illinois comes to town. Jump is slated for 7 p.m.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
Team Stats
BGSU
BSU
FG%
.411
.557
3FG%
.300
.444
FT%
.645
.520
RB
32
39
TO
10
10
STL
6
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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