Tuesday, January 9
Muncie, IN
7:00 p.m.
Ball State University
8-7,0-3MAC
76
vs
80
Akron
11-4,3-0MAC
1
2
F
Akron
33
47
80
Ball St.
35
41
76
Photo by: Samantha Blankenship / Ball State University
Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Akron
January 09, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals Led Late against MAC Favorite
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team led by six points over MAC favorite Akron with under four minutes to play, but the Zips closed strong to win 80-76 on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (8-7, 0-3 MAC) went up 71-65 after a Davion Bailey 3-pointer at the 4:00 mark, but visiting Akron (11-4, 3-0 MAC) drained a trio of triples in just more than a minute to pull ahead. Ball State had a few opportunities late to tie the game, but the Zips clamped down on defense to pull out the victory.
Basheer Jihad tied a career high of 27 points and blew past his career high in rebounds, finishing with 16 for his sixth double-double of the season. Jalin Anderson went for 21 points and five assists, while Mickey Pearson Jr. (12 points, four rebounds) and Bailey (11 points, six rebounds, four assists) also scored in double figures for the hosts.
Ball State overcame foul trouble for Jihad and early turnovers to lead 35-33 at the halftime break thanks to a last-minute 3-pointer from Pearson Jr. Akron led 52-43 at the 12:44 mark of the second half, but the Cardinals responded with a 17-5 scoring run, featuring 10 points out of Jihad, to regain a 60-57 advantage with 8:05 to go.
NCAA Division I leader in rebounding and double-doubles Enrique Freeman was held in check in the first half (five points), but ended the night tallying 14 points and 13 rebounds. Fellow senior Ali Ali had a team high 17 points for the Zips, while they got 14 points from Greg Tribble and 12 from Mikal Dawson, who both hit critical jump shots late.
The Cardinals outrebounded Akron 40-32, but the Zips won the turnover battle 13-5. Ball State shot 45.3 percent (24-53) from the field including 43.5 percent (10-23) from distance and 78.3 percent (18-23) at the charity stripe. Akron went 43.3 percent (26-60) on field goals, 35.7 percent (10-28) on 3-pointers and 69.2 percent (18-26) on free throws.
Ball State's next game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Toledo.
The Cardinals (8-7, 0-3 MAC) went up 71-65 after a Davion Bailey 3-pointer at the 4:00 mark, but visiting Akron (11-4, 3-0 MAC) drained a trio of triples in just more than a minute to pull ahead. Ball State had a few opportunities late to tie the game, but the Zips clamped down on defense to pull out the victory.
Basheer Jihad tied a career high of 27 points and blew past his career high in rebounds, finishing with 16 for his sixth double-double of the season. Jalin Anderson went for 21 points and five assists, while Mickey Pearson Jr. (12 points, four rebounds) and Bailey (11 points, six rebounds, four assists) also scored in double figures for the hosts.
Ball State overcame foul trouble for Jihad and early turnovers to lead 35-33 at the halftime break thanks to a last-minute 3-pointer from Pearson Jr. Akron led 52-43 at the 12:44 mark of the second half, but the Cardinals responded with a 17-5 scoring run, featuring 10 points out of Jihad, to regain a 60-57 advantage with 8:05 to go.
NCAA Division I leader in rebounding and double-doubles Enrique Freeman was held in check in the first half (five points), but ended the night tallying 14 points and 13 rebounds. Fellow senior Ali Ali had a team high 17 points for the Zips, while they got 14 points from Greg Tribble and 12 from Mikal Dawson, who both hit critical jump shots late.
The Cardinals outrebounded Akron 40-32, but the Zips won the turnover battle 13-5. Ball State shot 45.3 percent (24-53) from the field including 43.5 percent (10-23) from distance and 78.3 percent (18-23) at the charity stripe. Akron went 43.3 percent (26-60) on field goals, 35.7 percent (10-28) on 3-pointers and 69.2 percent (18-26) on free throws.
Ball State's next game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday at Toledo.
Team Stats
UA
BSU
FG%
.433
.453
3FG%
.357
.435
FT%
.692
.783
RB
32
40
TO
5
13
STL
8
2
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
9
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
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