Tuesday, February 21
Muncie, Ind.
7 p.m.
Ball State University
20-8,11-4MAC
82
vs
70
Kent State
22-6,12-3MAC
1
2
F
Kent St.
33
37
70
Ball St.
32
50
82
Photo by: Grace Walton - BSU Creative Services
Ball State Defends Home Court Against Kent State as Five Cardinals Score Double Figures
February 21, 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 matchup with Kent State. Jaylin Sellers led the BSU with 20 points and Payton Sparks collected a double-double as the Cardinals knocked off the Golden Flashes 82-70 on Tuesday.
Ball State improved to 20-8 overall and 11-4 in MAC play. It is just the 13th time in program history that a team has won 20 games. It is also just the fourth time in Ball State history that the men's and women's programs have both won 20 games in the same season. Kent State fell to 22-6 overall and 12-3 in league games.
"That's a really good win for us, especially after Saturday," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "I felt good about our preparation and the way these guys responded on Sunday. We have high-character guys that are learning a new coaching staff and should be having a blast. To be able to compete and be on a team like this, doesn't happen all the time. The radio guy, Mick Tidrow, told me this is only the 13th time in 102 years that a team has won 20 games. That's a credit to these guys. Unbelievable crowd and student section. They've been great all year. Huge thank you to them. Really good win. Excited about what this team can do down the stretch bouncing back after a poor performance, which was my fault on Saturday."
Sellers finished with a team-high 20 points and added two rebounds. Luke Bumbalough recorded a season-high 13 points with four assists and three rebounds. Basheer Jihad also tallied 13 points to go along with his six boards and he tied a career high with two blocks. Demarius Jacobs shot 80.0 percent from the field and finished with 12 points. He added five boards and four assists. Sparks collected his ninth double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He dished out one assist. Jarron Coleman produced a game-high eight assists, which tied a career high and was two more than Kent State produced as a team. Coleman added nine points and three rebounds.
The game started as a defensive battle that saw an 11-11 tie after the first 6:17 of play. During that stretch the Cardinals were 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. The next 4:30 was the same as the score was tied 21-21 with 6:50 left in the opening stanza.
The remainder of the first half continued to be a back-and-forth war as Kent State took a 33-32 lead into the half. Ball State finished the first half 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.
The Cardinals came out on fire in the second half with a 16-3 run, which led to a BSU 45-36 lead. During the run, Ball State was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. Sellers and Sparks collected back-to-back dunks that ignited the BSU crowd. A Sellers 3-pointer at the end of the run forced a Kent State timeout.
The Golden Flashes answered with a 6-0 run and cut the Cardinal lead to 48-42 with 15:21 left in regulation. Ball State was unfazed and responded by outscoring Kent State 11-6 over the game's next 4:08.
The Cardinals held an eight-point lead, 67-59, with 5:24 left in regulation. Ball State outscored Kent State 9-4 and took a 76-63 lead, its largest of the night, with 2:56 remaining in the game. The Golden Flashes outscored the Cardinals 7-6 in the remaining minute, but BSU used a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to help secure an 82-70 victory.
Kent State was led by Sincere Carry with a game-high 21 points. He tied for a team high with six rebounds to go along with an assist and a steal. Malique Jacobs finished with 18 points, six boards, a team-high three assists, a block, and a steal. Miryne Thomas closed out the double-digit scores with 13 and brought down five rebounds.
The Cardinals return to the road for a MAC contest with the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Tip is scheduled for 3:30 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 20-8 overall and 11-4 in MAC play. It is just the 13th time in program history that a team has won 20 games. It is also just the fourth time in Ball State history that the men's and women's programs have both won 20 games in the same season. Kent State fell to 22-6 overall and 12-3 in league games.
"That's a really good win for us, especially after Saturday," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "I felt good about our preparation and the way these guys responded on Sunday. We have high-character guys that are learning a new coaching staff and should be having a blast. To be able to compete and be on a team like this, doesn't happen all the time. The radio guy, Mick Tidrow, told me this is only the 13th time in 102 years that a team has won 20 games. That's a credit to these guys. Unbelievable crowd and student section. They've been great all year. Huge thank you to them. Really good win. Excited about what this team can do down the stretch bouncing back after a poor performance, which was my fault on Saturday."
Sellers finished with a team-high 20 points and added two rebounds. Luke Bumbalough recorded a season-high 13 points with four assists and three rebounds. Basheer Jihad also tallied 13 points to go along with his six boards and he tied a career high with two blocks. Demarius Jacobs shot 80.0 percent from the field and finished with 12 points. He added five boards and four assists. Sparks collected his ninth double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He dished out one assist. Jarron Coleman produced a game-high eight assists, which tied a career high and was two more than Kent State produced as a team. Coleman added nine points and three rebounds.
The game started as a defensive battle that saw an 11-11 tie after the first 6:17 of play. During that stretch the Cardinals were 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. The next 4:30 was the same as the score was tied 21-21 with 6:50 left in the opening stanza.
The remainder of the first half continued to be a back-and-forth war as Kent State took a 33-32 lead into the half. Ball State finished the first half 15-of-19 from the free-throw line.
The Cardinals came out on fire in the second half with a 16-3 run, which led to a BSU 45-36 lead. During the run, Ball State was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. Sellers and Sparks collected back-to-back dunks that ignited the BSU crowd. A Sellers 3-pointer at the end of the run forced a Kent State timeout.
??SELLERS. SPARKS. SELLERS. ??
??WORTHEN IS ELECTRIC??
.@JaylinSellers .@PaytonSparks6 #ChirpChirp x #WeFly pic.twitter.com/Kael4erQNS
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) February 22, 2023
The Golden Flashes answered with a 6-0 run and cut the Cardinal lead to 48-42 with 15:21 left in regulation. Ball State was unfazed and responded by outscoring Kent State 11-6 over the game's next 4:08.
The Cardinals held an eight-point lead, 67-59, with 5:24 left in regulation. Ball State outscored Kent State 9-4 and took a 76-63 lead, its largest of the night, with 2:56 remaining in the game. The Golden Flashes outscored the Cardinals 7-6 in the remaining minute, but BSU used a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to help secure an 82-70 victory.
Kent State was led by Sincere Carry with a game-high 21 points. He tied for a team high with six rebounds to go along with an assist and a steal. Malique Jacobs finished with 18 points, six boards, a team-high three assists, a block, and a steal. Miryne Thomas closed out the double-digit scores with 13 and brought down five rebounds.
The Cardinals return to the road for a MAC contest with the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Tip is scheduled for 3:30 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
KentSt
BSU
FG%
.407
.490
3FG%
.467
.350
FT%
.714
.794
RB
27
38
TO
7
12
STL
6
0
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
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