Thursday, March 9
Cleveland, Ohio
1:30 p.m.
Ball State University
20-12,11-7MAC
70
vs
90
Ohio
19-13,10-8MAC
1
2
F
Ohio
54
36
90
Ball St.
32
38
70
Photo by: Stephen Linsky
Ball State Falls to Ohio MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
March 09, 2023 | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND – The Ball State men's basketball team returned to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals against Ohio on Thursday. Payton Sparks led the team in points and rebounds, but the Cardinals fell to the Bobcats 90-70.
Ball State fell to 20-12 on the season, while Ohio improved 19-13.
"Congratulations to Jeff and his team," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "I thought we got off to a really good start. I was pleased with our first four-minute segment. Once Ohio punched back, we didn't have any response. That was disappointing. We didn't have an answer on the backboard. Our turnovers led to transition points, and it got away from us quickly. What these guys did over the course of 32 games, they took a major step forward for our program at Ball State. Them winning 20 games is a hell of an accomplishment, especially when you look at the history of our program. That doesn't happen very often."
Sparks led the team with 21 points and a team-high seven rebounds. He also produced the team's only blocks, with two. Demarius Jacobs finished with 11 points and one rebound. Jarron Coleman chipped in with 10 points and two rebounds. He tied for a game-high five assists. Jaylin Sellers closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. He added one rebound. Luke Bumbalough tied for a game-high five assists.
The Cardinals came out of the gate strong and took an early 10-4 lead at the first media timeout. Demarius Jacobs scored five or the team's 10 points to start the game.
The Bobcats answered with a 12-4 run and took a 16-14 lead at the second media timeout with 11:52 left in the first half. Ohio added an 11-5 and extended its lead to 27-19 with 8:37 left in the opening stanza.
The Bobcats kept the pressure up and went on a 23-7 run and held a 50-26 lead with 3:27 left in the half. The Cardinals finished the half by outscoring the Bobcats 6-4 but trailed 54-32 at the break.
Ohio opened the second stanza on a 15-7 run and took a 69-39 lead with 15:05 left in regulation. The Cardinals answered with a 9-5 run over the next 2:30 and cut the deficit to 74-48 with 12:02 left to play.
The Bobcats outscored the Cardinals 9-8 over the 3:30 and held an 83-56 lead with 8:08 left in regulation. Ball State went on a 7-2 run and cut the deficit to 85-63 with 4:42 left to play. The Cardinals continued to fight the remainder of the game but fell 90-70.
AJ Brown recorded a game-high 28 points along with seven rebounds, three steals, and one block. Jaylin Hunter posted 13 points, a team-high four assists, two steals, and one rebound. Elmore James added 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Dwight Wilson notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Instagram
Ball State fell to 20-12 on the season, while Ohio improved 19-13.
"Congratulations to Jeff and his team," said Head Coach Michael Lewis. "I thought we got off to a really good start. I was pleased with our first four-minute segment. Once Ohio punched back, we didn't have any response. That was disappointing. We didn't have an answer on the backboard. Our turnovers led to transition points, and it got away from us quickly. What these guys did over the course of 32 games, they took a major step forward for our program at Ball State. Them winning 20 games is a hell of an accomplishment, especially when you look at the history of our program. That doesn't happen very often."
Sparks led the team with 21 points and a team-high seven rebounds. He also produced the team's only blocks, with two. Demarius Jacobs finished with 11 points and one rebound. Jarron Coleman chipped in with 10 points and two rebounds. He tied for a game-high five assists. Jaylin Sellers closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. He added one rebound. Luke Bumbalough tied for a game-high five assists.
The Cardinals came out of the gate strong and took an early 10-4 lead at the first media timeout. Demarius Jacobs scored five or the team's 10 points to start the game.
The Bobcats answered with a 12-4 run and took a 16-14 lead at the second media timeout with 11:52 left in the first half. Ohio added an 11-5 and extended its lead to 27-19 with 8:37 left in the opening stanza.
The Bobcats kept the pressure up and went on a 23-7 run and held a 50-26 lead with 3:27 left in the half. The Cardinals finished the half by outscoring the Bobcats 6-4 but trailed 54-32 at the break.
Ohio opened the second stanza on a 15-7 run and took a 69-39 lead with 15:05 left in regulation. The Cardinals answered with a 9-5 run over the next 2:30 and cut the deficit to 74-48 with 12:02 left to play.
The Bobcats outscored the Cardinals 9-8 over the 3:30 and held an 83-56 lead with 8:08 left in regulation. Ball State went on a 7-2 run and cut the deficit to 85-63 with 4:42 left to play. The Cardinals continued to fight the remainder of the game but fell 90-70.
AJ Brown recorded a game-high 28 points along with seven rebounds, three steals, and one block. Jaylin Hunter posted 13 points, a team-high four assists, two steals, and one rebound. Elmore James added 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Dwight Wilson notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
Follow the Cardinals
Team Stats
Ohio
BSU
FG%
.485
.403
3FG%
.440
.273
FT%
.813
.824
RB
45
30
TO
11
13
STL
10
1
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballMen's Basketball // Armoni Zeigler
Wednesday, September 10
Men's Basketball // Armoni Zeigler - Heart of the Cardinal Podcast
Tuesday, September 09
Men's Basketball // Jai Anthoni Bearden
Wednesday, August 20
Men's Basketball // Jai Anthoni Bearden - Heart of the Cardinal Podcast
Wednesday, August 20