Ball State University Athletics
Tuesday, February 17
Athens, Ohio
7 PM
Ball State University
8-18,3-10MAC
57
at
69
Ohio
14-13,8-6MAC
1
2
F
Ball St.
15
42
57
Ohio
32
37
69
Photo by: Keith Lucas / Sideline Media Productions
Men's Basketball Falls at Ohio Despite Early Second Half Rally
February 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ball State men's basketball team started the second half on a 9-0 scoring but couldn't finish off the comeback attempt in a 69-57 setback to Ohio on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.
The Cardinals led 13-9 following a 7-0 rally capped by a layup from Davion Hill at the 8:45 mark of the first half but were limited to two more points the remainder of the period as the hosts took a 32-15 advantage into halftime. Four different Ball State players scored in the early second half run, which made the score 32-24 and forced an Ohio timeout following Preston Copeland's layup with 17:38 to play.
Ball State (8-18, 3-10 Mid-American Conference) cut its deficit to seven points on two occasions after a layup from Hill made the score 41-34 and two free throws made it a 43-36 game with 8:58 on the clock. A 3-pointer by Devon Barnes at the 2:38 mark of the second half cut the Ohio lead to 62-54, but the Bobcats (13-13, 8-6 MAC) scored the next five points to take the home win.
Barnes led the Cardinals with 17 points, getting 15 of those in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting from the field (3-for-3 on triples). Hill followed with 16 points and five rebounds, while Copeland tallied seven points and 10 boards on the night.
Ball State outrebounded Ohio 35-34 and enjoyed a 30-20 edge on points in the paint. The Cardinals committed one more turnover (9-8) and allowed the Bobcats to gain a 12-4 advantage on points from turnovers.
Aidan Hadaway (18 points, eight rebounds) and Jackson Paveletzke (18 points, six assists) paced the Ohio offense, which shot 42.3 percent (22-52) on field goals, 38.1 percent (8-21) on 3-pointers and 81.0 percent (17-21) at the foul line.
Ball State went 40.7 percent (22-54) from the field including 27.8 percent (5-18) from distance and 57.1 percent (8-14) on free throws.
The Cardinals will next return home to play Akron at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Cardinals led 13-9 following a 7-0 rally capped by a layup from Davion Hill at the 8:45 mark of the first half but were limited to two more points the remainder of the period as the hosts took a 32-15 advantage into halftime. Four different Ball State players scored in the early second half run, which made the score 32-24 and forced an Ohio timeout following Preston Copeland's layup with 17:38 to play.
Ball State (8-18, 3-10 Mid-American Conference) cut its deficit to seven points on two occasions after a layup from Hill made the score 41-34 and two free throws made it a 43-36 game with 8:58 on the clock. A 3-pointer by Devon Barnes at the 2:38 mark of the second half cut the Ohio lead to 62-54, but the Bobcats (13-13, 8-6 MAC) scored the next five points to take the home win.
Barnes led the Cardinals with 17 points, getting 15 of those in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting from the field (3-for-3 on triples). Hill followed with 16 points and five rebounds, while Copeland tallied seven points and 10 boards on the night.
Ball State outrebounded Ohio 35-34 and enjoyed a 30-20 edge on points in the paint. The Cardinals committed one more turnover (9-8) and allowed the Bobcats to gain a 12-4 advantage on points from turnovers.
Aidan Hadaway (18 points, eight rebounds) and Jackson Paveletzke (18 points, six assists) paced the Ohio offense, which shot 42.3 percent (22-52) on field goals, 38.1 percent (8-21) on 3-pointers and 81.0 percent (17-21) at the foul line.
Ball State went 40.7 percent (22-54) from the field including 27.8 percent (5-18) from distance and 57.1 percent (8-14) on free throws.
The Cardinals will next return home to play Akron at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Team Stats
BSU
Ohio
FG%
.407
.423
3FG%
.278
.381
FT%
.571
.810
RB
35
34
TO
9
8
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
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