Tuesday, March 5
Muncie, IN
7:00 p.m.
Ball State University
15-15,7-10MAC
76
vs
69
Kent State
15-15,8-9MAC
1
2
F
Kent St.
32
37
69
Ball St.
37
39
76
Photo by: Collin Phillips/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Dominate Crunch Time to Beat Kent State in Home Finale
March 05, 2024 | Men's Basketball
11-0 Rally in Final Three Minutes Clinched 76-69 Victory
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team started and finished strong, including an 11-0 scoring run in the final three minutes of the game, to take down Kent State 76-69 on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.
Jalin Anderson scored six points in the game-deciding stretch, including a pair of pull up jumpers and two free throws, on his way to a game-best 23 points. Davion Bailey scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half to help the hosts pull away from Kent State, who took its first lead with 10:40 to play.
The game went back-and-forth from there until a Julius Rollins triple put the Golden Flashes ahead 64-63 with 3:13 to go. Davion Bailey added a field goal and Mickey Pearson Jr. sank three free throws in the 11-0 Ball State rally that followed to put the hosts ahead 74-64 with 30 seconds on the game clock.
The Cardinals (15-15, 7-10 Mid-American Conference) got out to a 26-12 lead midway through the first half against the Golden Flashes (15-15, 8-9 MAC) in the home finale of the 2023-24 season and led 37-32 at halftime.
Anderson added three assists and two blocks for Ball State, while Bailey pulled down seven rebounds to help the Cardinals win the rebounding battle by a 39-32 margin. Mickey Pearson Jr. (13 points, seven rebounds) and Ben Hendriks (11 points, four rebounds, two assists) got double figures, while Mason Jones collected a career high 10 rebounds in addition to three points, three assists and two steals.
Ball State got revenge on the Golden Flashes from the MAC season opener in early January, as the Cardinals held a lead for more than 32 minutes and controlled the game for the balance of the first half and in crunch time. Kent State got a combined 47 points from the trio of Reggie Bass, VonCameron Davis and Jalen Sullinger.
The hosts went 43.1 percent (25-58) from the field including 30.0 percent (6-20) from beyond the arc while making 74.1 percent (20-27) of their free throws. The Golden Flashes hit 40.9 percent (27-66) of their shots, 31.0 percent (9-29) of 3-pointers and 85.7 percent (6-7) at the foul line.
Ball State is scheduled to play its regular season finale at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Bowling Green.
Jalin Anderson scored six points in the game-deciding stretch, including a pair of pull up jumpers and two free throws, on his way to a game-best 23 points. Davion Bailey scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half to help the hosts pull away from Kent State, who took its first lead with 10:40 to play.
The game went back-and-forth from there until a Julius Rollins triple put the Golden Flashes ahead 64-63 with 3:13 to go. Davion Bailey added a field goal and Mickey Pearson Jr. sank three free throws in the 11-0 Ball State rally that followed to put the hosts ahead 74-64 with 30 seconds on the game clock.
The Cardinals (15-15, 7-10 Mid-American Conference) got out to a 26-12 lead midway through the first half against the Golden Flashes (15-15, 8-9 MAC) in the home finale of the 2023-24 season and led 37-32 at halftime.
Anderson added three assists and two blocks for Ball State, while Bailey pulled down seven rebounds to help the Cardinals win the rebounding battle by a 39-32 margin. Mickey Pearson Jr. (13 points, seven rebounds) and Ben Hendriks (11 points, four rebounds, two assists) got double figures, while Mason Jones collected a career high 10 rebounds in addition to three points, three assists and two steals.
Ball State got revenge on the Golden Flashes from the MAC season opener in early January, as the Cardinals held a lead for more than 32 minutes and controlled the game for the balance of the first half and in crunch time. Kent State got a combined 47 points from the trio of Reggie Bass, VonCameron Davis and Jalen Sullinger.
The hosts went 43.1 percent (25-58) from the field including 30.0 percent (6-20) from beyond the arc while making 74.1 percent (20-27) of their free throws. The Golden Flashes hit 40.9 percent (27-66) of their shots, 31.0 percent (9-29) of 3-pointers and 85.7 percent (6-7) at the foul line.
Ball State is scheduled to play its regular season finale at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Bowling Green.
Team Stats
KentSt
BSU
FG%
.409
.431
3FG%
.310
.300
FT%
.857
.741
RB
32
39
TO
12
12
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
F
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