Ball State University Athletics
Wednesday, December 3
Evansville, Ind.
8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
Ball State University
3-6,0-0MAC
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at
64
Evansville
4-5,0-0MVC
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Ball St.
32
20
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Evansville
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Photo by: Evansville Athletics
Men's Basketball Suffers Loss at Evansville in Defensive Battle
December 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team got out to an early 14-9 lead and was within striking distance in the final minutes but fell 64-52 to Evansville on Wednesday night at the Ford Center.
The Cardinals took the five-point edge on a Joey Hart 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer with 11:46 remaining in the first half. Juwan Maxey scored the final three points of the half on free throws to get the visitors within one at 33-32 at the break.
Ball State (3-6) went on a 6-0 run on a Mason Jones fadeaway jumper and four points by Armoni Zeigler to take a 38-36 edge with 16:30 to play. A layup from Kayden Fish put the Cardinals ahead 44-42 with 13:10 on the clock, but the host Aces (4-5) scored the next six points and led for the remainder of the game.
Zeigler put up 17 points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists, while Devon Barnes (11 points) and Fish (10) also scored in double figures for Ball State. Jones contributed 10 rebounds, and Hart finished with the three points and an assist in his season debut.
Connor Turnbull led Evansville with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Aces held advantages in points in the paint (30-20) and fast break points (11-0).
Ball State shot 32.1 percent (18-56) from the field, 25 percent (6-24) from distance and 71.4 percent (10-14) at the foul line. Evansville made 42.3 percent (22-52) of its field goal attempts including 24 percent (6-25) on 3-pointers while going 77.8 percent (14-18) on free throws.
Evansville led 41-34 in rebounding but committed one more turnover (15-14) on the night. Leading 55-52 with under four minutes to play, the Aces scored the final nine points to clinch the home win.
The Cardinals return home following five straight games away from Muncie and host South Dakota State at 7 p.m., on Tuesday.
The Cardinals took the five-point edge on a Joey Hart 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer with 11:46 remaining in the first half. Juwan Maxey scored the final three points of the half on free throws to get the visitors within one at 33-32 at the break.
Ball State (3-6) went on a 6-0 run on a Mason Jones fadeaway jumper and four points by Armoni Zeigler to take a 38-36 edge with 16:30 to play. A layup from Kayden Fish put the Cardinals ahead 44-42 with 13:10 on the clock, but the host Aces (4-5) scored the next six points and led for the remainder of the game.
Zeigler put up 17 points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists, while Devon Barnes (11 points) and Fish (10) also scored in double figures for Ball State. Jones contributed 10 rebounds, and Hart finished with the three points and an assist in his season debut.
Connor Turnbull led Evansville with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Aces held advantages in points in the paint (30-20) and fast break points (11-0).
Ball State shot 32.1 percent (18-56) from the field, 25 percent (6-24) from distance and 71.4 percent (10-14) at the foul line. Evansville made 42.3 percent (22-52) of its field goal attempts including 24 percent (6-25) on 3-pointers while going 77.8 percent (14-18) on free throws.
Evansville led 41-34 in rebounding but committed one more turnover (15-14) on the night. Leading 55-52 with under four minutes to play, the Aces scored the final nine points to clinch the home win.
The Cardinals return home following five straight games away from Muncie and host South Dakota State at 7 p.m., on Tuesday.
Team Stats
BSU
Evans
FG%
.321
.423
3FG%
.250
.240
FT%
.714
.778
RB
34
41
TO
14
15
STL
10
5
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
5
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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