Tuesday, February 20
DeKalb, IL
8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT
Ball State University
13-13,5-8MAC
70
at
63
Northern Illinois
9-17,3-10MAC
1
2
F
Ball St.
27
43
70
NIU
31
32
63
Photo by: Northern Illinois Athletics
Cardinals Fight Back for 70-63 Road Win at Northern Illinois
February 20, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Anderson Hits 1,000 Career Points in Big Performance
DEKALB, Ill. – The Ball State men's basketball team fought back from a late deficit against Northern Illinois Tuesday night at the Convocation Center to take a 70-63 road win and secure a season sweep over the Huskies.
The Cardinals (13-13, 5-8 Mid-American Conference) trailed 51-42 with 8:46 to play but quickly reclaimed the lead over NIU (9-17, 3-10 MAC) after two Basheer Jihad free throws put the visitors ahead 54-53 at the 5:09 mark of the second half. Ball State's 16-2 scoring run got the Cardinals a 58-53 edge, and they would lead by at least two points the rest of the way.
The game-deciding run featured points from five different players for Ball State, highlighted by a pair of triples from Davion Bailey.
Jalin Anderson scored a team-best 19 points while adding eight rebounds and seven assists, eclipsing 1,000 career points on a free throw in the final minute. Jihad tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Bailey scored 15 points on a season-high five 3-pointers and collected six rebounds and four assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. (10 points, three rebounds) rounded out the Cardinals in double-figures scoring.
Northern Illinois led 17-10 early, but Ball State clawed back to take a 27-25 lead on a Mason Jones layup with 3:21 left in the first half. The Huskies closed strong to get a 31-27 edge at halftime.
The Cardinals used a 7-0 rally capped off by one of Bailey's triples to gain a 37-36 advantage with 14:15 to go. Ball State shot 46.2 percent from the field in the second half including 45.5 percent from distance to get back in the game and secure its fourth win in five conference contests on the road.
The evening ended with the Cardinals shooting 37.5 percent (21-56) overall, 41.2 percent (7-17) on 3-pointers and 77.8 percent (14-19) at the foul line. Northern Illinois went 33.9 percent (21-62), 25.0 percent (6-24) and 62.5 percent (15-24) in those categories, respectively.
NIU won the rebounding battle 45-38 but committed more turnovers (14-9), which the Cardinals turned into 14 points. The game saw nine lead changes and four ties.
Ball State returns home to host Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday in its first game at Worthen Arena since Feb. 6.
The Cardinals (13-13, 5-8 Mid-American Conference) trailed 51-42 with 8:46 to play but quickly reclaimed the lead over NIU (9-17, 3-10 MAC) after two Basheer Jihad free throws put the visitors ahead 54-53 at the 5:09 mark of the second half. Ball State's 16-2 scoring run got the Cardinals a 58-53 edge, and they would lead by at least two points the rest of the way.
The game-deciding run featured points from five different players for Ball State, highlighted by a pair of triples from Davion Bailey.
Jalin Anderson scored a team-best 19 points while adding eight rebounds and seven assists, eclipsing 1,000 career points on a free throw in the final minute. Jihad tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Bailey scored 15 points on a season-high five 3-pointers and collected six rebounds and four assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. (10 points, three rebounds) rounded out the Cardinals in double-figures scoring.
Northern Illinois led 17-10 early, but Ball State clawed back to take a 27-25 lead on a Mason Jones layup with 3:21 left in the first half. The Huskies closed strong to get a 31-27 edge at halftime.
The Cardinals used a 7-0 rally capped off by one of Bailey's triples to gain a 37-36 advantage with 14:15 to go. Ball State shot 46.2 percent from the field in the second half including 45.5 percent from distance to get back in the game and secure its fourth win in five conference contests on the road.
The evening ended with the Cardinals shooting 37.5 percent (21-56) overall, 41.2 percent (7-17) on 3-pointers and 77.8 percent (14-19) at the foul line. Northern Illinois went 33.9 percent (21-62), 25.0 percent (6-24) and 62.5 percent (15-24) in those categories, respectively.
NIU won the rebounding battle 45-38 but committed more turnovers (14-9), which the Cardinals turned into 14 points. The game saw nine lead changes and four ties.
Ball State returns home to host Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday in its first game at Worthen Arena since Feb. 6.
Team Stats
BSU
NIU
FG%
.375
.339
3FG%
.412
.250
FT%
.778
.625
RB
38
45
TO
9
14
STL
5
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
11
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
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