Friday, March 3
Muncie, Ind.
6 p.m.
Ball State University
20-11,11-7MAC
81
vs
87
Toledo
25-6,16-2MAC
1
2
F
Toledo
40
47
87
Ball St.
35
46
81
Photo by: Bobby Ellis (Ball State Creative Services)
Cardinals Fall in Final Game of Regular Season
March 03, 2023 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for the final time of the 2022-23 season against Toledo on Friday. Payton Sparks tied a career high with 24 points and brought down a game-high 11 rebounds to pace the Cardinals, but BSU fell 87-81.
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 20-11 overall record and a 11-7 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Rockets finished the regular season with a 25-6 record and were 25-6 in league games.
Prior to tonight's game, Ball State recognized six student managers along with Demarius Jacobs and Jarron Coleman for Senior Night.
Sparks recorded his 10th double-double of the season. He led the team with 24 points and collected a game-high 11 rebounds. Sparks added two assists and two blocks. Jaylin Sellers ended the game with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Jacobs produced 12 points in his final regular season game as a Cardinal. He dished out a team-high six assists. He added a block and a steal. Basheer Jihad notched an 11-point effort to go along with two boards, two assists, a block, and a steal. Mickey Pearson Jr. closed out the double-digit scorers with 10. He brought down four rebounds and blocked two shots.
The game started with the two squads trading baskets. With the score tied 4-4, the Rockets scored five unanswered and took a 9-4 lead early in the first half. The Cardinals were unfazed and answered with a 4-0 run to pull within one, 9-8, with 16:45 left in the opening stanza.
Ball State was able to keep it a one-point game, 15-14, with 11:29 left in the half. Toledo went on a 10-4 run and extended their lead to 25-18. The Cardinals were able to cut the deficit down to three, 29-26, after an 8-4 run that ended with 4:46 left in the first stanza. UT outscored BSU, 11-9, for the remainder of the half and took a 40-35 lead into the break.
The Rockets opened the second half on a 10-4 run and extend their lead to 50-39. A 9-5 run gave Toledo its largest lead of the night, 59-44, with 13:30 left to play.
The Cardinals would not go away and fought back with a 19-8 run to pull within four, 67-63, with 8:11 left on the clock. A 13-6 run by Toledo put them back on top by 11, 80-69, with just under four minutes left in the game. Ball State continued to battle to the final buzzer and outscored Toledo 12-7, over the remaining 3:51, but the Rockets held on for an 87-81 victory.
RayJ Dennis produced a career-high 32 points for the Rockets. He added game-high seven assists to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Setric Millner Jr. posted 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Dante Maddox Jr. went for 12 points, four boards, and one steal. JT Shumate rounded out the double-digit scorers for Toledo with 12. He added a team-high seven rebounds with an assist and a block.
The Cardinals return to action on Thursday, March 9, for the opening round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. Ball State will take on Ohio in the quarterfinals with tip coming a minimum of 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 20-11 overall record and a 11-7 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Rockets finished the regular season with a 25-6 record and were 25-6 in league games.
Prior to tonight's game, Ball State recognized six student managers along with Demarius Jacobs and Jarron Coleman for Senior Night.
Sparks recorded his 10th double-double of the season. He led the team with 24 points and collected a game-high 11 rebounds. Sparks added two assists and two blocks. Jaylin Sellers ended the game with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Jacobs produced 12 points in his final regular season game as a Cardinal. He dished out a team-high six assists. He added a block and a steal. Basheer Jihad notched an 11-point effort to go along with two boards, two assists, a block, and a steal. Mickey Pearson Jr. closed out the double-digit scorers with 10. He brought down four rebounds and blocked two shots.
The game started with the two squads trading baskets. With the score tied 4-4, the Rockets scored five unanswered and took a 9-4 lead early in the first half. The Cardinals were unfazed and answered with a 4-0 run to pull within one, 9-8, with 16:45 left in the opening stanza.
Ball State was able to keep it a one-point game, 15-14, with 11:29 left in the half. Toledo went on a 10-4 run and extended their lead to 25-18. The Cardinals were able to cut the deficit down to three, 29-26, after an 8-4 run that ended with 4:46 left in the first stanza. UT outscored BSU, 11-9, for the remainder of the half and took a 40-35 lead into the break.
The Rockets opened the second half on a 10-4 run and extend their lead to 50-39. A 9-5 run gave Toledo its largest lead of the night, 59-44, with 13:30 left to play.
The Cardinals would not go away and fought back with a 19-8 run to pull within four, 67-63, with 8:11 left on the clock. A 13-6 run by Toledo put them back on top by 11, 80-69, with just under four minutes left in the game. Ball State continued to battle to the final buzzer and outscored Toledo 12-7, over the remaining 3:51, but the Rockets held on for an 87-81 victory.
RayJ Dennis produced a career-high 32 points for the Rockets. He added game-high seven assists to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Setric Millner Jr. posted 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Dante Maddox Jr. went for 12 points, four boards, and one steal. JT Shumate rounded out the double-digit scorers for Toledo with 12. He added a team-high seven rebounds with an assist and a block.
The Cardinals return to action on Thursday, March 9, for the opening round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. Ball State will take on Ohio in the quarterfinals with tip coming a minimum of 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
Team Stats
UT
BSU
FG%
.550
.544
3FG%
.667
.250
FT%
.917
.737
RB
26
30
TO
7
10
STL
7
3
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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