Tuesday, January 2
Kent, OH
7:00 p.m.
Ball State University
8-5,0-1MAC
69
at
82
Kent State
8-5,1-0MAC
1
2
F
Ball St.
30
39
69
Kent St.
41
41
82
Photo by: Kent State Athletics
Cardinals Drop MAC Opener at Kent State
January 02, 2024 | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Ball State men's basketball team dropped its Mid-American Conference opener at Kent State 82-69 on Tuesday night at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
The Cardinals (8-5) trailed by 19 points early in the second half after being down 41-30 at halftime but trimmed the deficit to seven on a Basheer Jihad 3-pointer that made the score 63-56 at the 8:37 mark.
The Golden Flashes (8-5) went on a 6-0 scoring run from there and led by double figures the rest of the contest.
Ball State led 10-7 early following a Davion Bailey triple, but the hosts established an inside presence for a 16-5 rally and would lead by at least seven points the remainder of the contest. Bailey's 14 first half points kept the visiting Cardinals in the game in the opening period.
The Cardinals battled foul trouble the majority of the game, including Jalin Anderson picking up two personals in the first six minutes and Ben Hendriks three in the first nine minutes.
Jihad tallied a game high 23 points while pulling down six rebounds. Anderson (10 points, seven rebounds, five assists) also contributed double digit points, while Mason Jones and Mickey Pearson Jr. chipped in nine each.
Kent State put up five players with 11+ points, led by Chris Payton Jr. (20 and six boards). The Flashes controlled the points in the paint (46-24) and bench points (42-11) categories.
Ball State hit 40 percent (24-60) of its field goal attempts, including 33.3 percent (6-18) from distance, while shooting 93.8 percent (15-16) at the free throw line. The hosts shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the floor and 38.5 percent (5-13) on 3-pointers. Kent State won the rebounding battle 35-28.
The Cardinals return to Worthen Arena to play Central Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday in their first home game since Dec. 10.
The Cardinals (8-5) trailed by 19 points early in the second half after being down 41-30 at halftime but trimmed the deficit to seven on a Basheer Jihad 3-pointer that made the score 63-56 at the 8:37 mark.
The Golden Flashes (8-5) went on a 6-0 scoring run from there and led by double figures the rest of the contest.
Ball State led 10-7 early following a Davion Bailey triple, but the hosts established an inside presence for a 16-5 rally and would lead by at least seven points the remainder of the contest. Bailey's 14 first half points kept the visiting Cardinals in the game in the opening period.
The Cardinals battled foul trouble the majority of the game, including Jalin Anderson picking up two personals in the first six minutes and Ben Hendriks three in the first nine minutes.
Jihad tallied a game high 23 points while pulling down six rebounds. Anderson (10 points, seven rebounds, five assists) also contributed double digit points, while Mason Jones and Mickey Pearson Jr. chipped in nine each.
Kent State put up five players with 11+ points, led by Chris Payton Jr. (20 and six boards). The Flashes controlled the points in the paint (46-24) and bench points (42-11) categories.
Ball State hit 40 percent (24-60) of its field goal attempts, including 33.3 percent (6-18) from distance, while shooting 93.8 percent (15-16) at the free throw line. The hosts shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the floor and 38.5 percent (5-13) on 3-pointers. Kent State won the rebounding battle 35-28.
The Cardinals return to Worthen Arena to play Central Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday in their first home game since Dec. 10.
Team Stats
BSU
KentSt
FG%
.400
.528
3FG%
.333
.385
FT%
.938
.875
RB
28
35
TO
11
11
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
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