Tuesday, February 14
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Ball State University
19-7,10-3MAC
87
vs
77
Northern Illinois
11-15,7-6MAC
1
2
F
NIU
33
44
77
Ball St.
43
44
87
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Clinch Spot in MAC Tournament with Win Over Huskies
February 14, 2023 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team was back inside Worthen Arena for a Mid-American Conference contest with Northern Illinois on Tuesday. The Cardinals won their sixth straight on a night that saw five BSU players finish in double digits. Payton Sparks and Mickey Pearson Jr. each collected double-doubles as BSU defeated NIU 87-77.
Ball State improved to 19-7 and 10-3 in league play, while Northern Illinois fell to 11-15 overall and 7-6 in the MAC. With the win tonight, the Cardinals clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland on March 8.
"It was a good win for us," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "This time of year, you just try to continue to stack wins. I have to give Rashon Burno and Northern Illinois a lot of credit. To be down a guy, and to come out and compete that way. Give them a lot of credit. I'm really proud of these guys and their effort. Payton was a monster inside once he warmed up to the fight after the first four minutes. Obviously, he was a force with his stat line. Mickey continues to be Mickey. He has really impacted winning in a lot of different ways, that sometimes don't really show up in the numbers."
Sparks led the Cardinals with 20 points and added a game-high 16 rebounds on the way to his eighth double-double of the season. He added three assists and a block. Pearson scored 10 points and brought down 11 boards as he produced his second double-double of the season.
Jarron Coleman recorded his 22nd game in double figures with 17 points. He added a game-high eight assists, which tied a career high. He led the team with two steals and brought down one rebound. Demarius Jacobs notched a 17-point effort, his 18th game in double figures. He collected three rebounds and two assists. Jaylin Sellers posted his 18th game in double figures with a 13-point performance. Sellers added two rebounds, a block, and a steal.
The first three minutes was a back-and-forth battle that saw two ties and two lead changes. The Cardinals went on a 12-2 run capped off by a Luke Bumbalough steal and a fastbreak layup with 12:56 left in the opening stanza.
Northern Illinois mounted a comeback and took a 21-20 lead with 8:10 on the clock after a 13-2 run. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 6-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Kaiyem Cleary, BSU extended its lead to 26-21.
NIU outscored BSU 12-9 over the next 4:32 and cut the Cardinal lead to 35-33, with 2:23 left until the break. Ball State ended the half on a 7-0 run and took a 43-33 lead into the break. Coleman capped off the run with a big and-1 on a driving layup.
The Cardinals used the momentum from the end of the first and started the second half on a 7-0. Ball State extend its lead to 50-33 as Sellers accounted for five of the seven points.
NIU did not go down easily as the Huskies outscored the Cardinals 14-8 over the next 4:46 of game action and cut the BSU lead to 58-47. The Huskies followed that up with a 9-3 run and cut the deficit to five, 61-56, with 8:12 left in regulation.
The Cardinals were unfazed and answered with an 11-6 run to extend the lead to 10, 72-62. The final 3:19 was a back-and-forth affair as both teams scored 15 points. Ball State went on to win the game 87-77.
David Coit led the Huskies with a game-high 22 points. He added a team-high six assists with four rebounds. Zarique Nutter finished with 18 points along with three assists and two boards. Anthony Crump posted 16 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and two steals. Darweshi Hunter rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points to go along with three rebounds.
The Cardinals take to the road for a matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 18. Jump is scheduled for 2:30 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 19-7 and 10-3 in league play, while Northern Illinois fell to 11-15 overall and 7-6 in the MAC. With the win tonight, the Cardinals clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland on March 8.
"It was a good win for us," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "This time of year, you just try to continue to stack wins. I have to give Rashon Burno and Northern Illinois a lot of credit. To be down a guy, and to come out and compete that way. Give them a lot of credit. I'm really proud of these guys and their effort. Payton was a monster inside once he warmed up to the fight after the first four minutes. Obviously, he was a force with his stat line. Mickey continues to be Mickey. He has really impacted winning in a lot of different ways, that sometimes don't really show up in the numbers."
Sparks led the Cardinals with 20 points and added a game-high 16 rebounds on the way to his eighth double-double of the season. He added three assists and a block. Pearson scored 10 points and brought down 11 boards as he produced his second double-double of the season.
Jarron Coleman recorded his 22nd game in double figures with 17 points. He added a game-high eight assists, which tied a career high. He led the team with two steals and brought down one rebound. Demarius Jacobs notched a 17-point effort, his 18th game in double figures. He collected three rebounds and two assists. Jaylin Sellers posted his 18th game in double figures with a 13-point performance. Sellers added two rebounds, a block, and a steal.
The first three minutes was a back-and-forth battle that saw two ties and two lead changes. The Cardinals went on a 12-2 run capped off by a Luke Bumbalough steal and a fastbreak layup with 12:56 left in the opening stanza.
Northern Illinois mounted a comeback and took a 21-20 lead with 8:10 on the clock after a 13-2 run. Ball State was unfazed and responded with a 6-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Kaiyem Cleary, BSU extended its lead to 26-21.
NIU outscored BSU 12-9 over the next 4:32 and cut the Cardinal lead to 35-33, with 2:23 left until the break. Ball State ended the half on a 7-0 run and took a 43-33 lead into the break. Coleman capped off the run with a big and-1 on a driving layup.
The Cardinals used the momentum from the end of the first and started the second half on a 7-0. Ball State extend its lead to 50-33 as Sellers accounted for five of the seven points.
NIU did not go down easily as the Huskies outscored the Cardinals 14-8 over the next 4:46 of game action and cut the BSU lead to 58-47. The Huskies followed that up with a 9-3 run and cut the deficit to five, 61-56, with 8:12 left in regulation.
The Cardinals were unfazed and answered with an 11-6 run to extend the lead to 10, 72-62. The final 3:19 was a back-and-forth affair as both teams scored 15 points. Ball State went on to win the game 87-77.
David Coit led the Huskies with a game-high 22 points. He added a team-high six assists with four rebounds. Zarique Nutter finished with 18 points along with three assists and two boards. Anthony Crump posted 16 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and two steals. Darweshi Hunter rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points to go along with three rebounds.
The Cardinals take to the road for a matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 18. Jump is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
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Team Stats
NIU
BSU
FG%
.460
.517
3FG%
.429
.409
FT%
.538
.762
RB
30
41
TO
12
13
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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