Senior Tahjai Teague put the offense . . .
“In a funny way, it was like a quiet 24,” Ball State head coach James Whitford said. “He made a lot of really good decisions today. He took good shots, he passed when he should have passed, he drove when he should have driven. He mixed up the movement out there to create shots for himself and others. He let the game come to him and because he did, (he finished with) 24 points on 13 shots which is obviously a heck of a night.”
Everything seemed to go in for Teague against Ohio (10-12, 2-7 MAC). He scored from all over the court – dunks, layups and 3-pointers – while shooting 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the floor. Teague’s shot of the game, though, came with 12:16 left in the second half when he lost his balance in the lane, was falling down and threw up a shot that hit nothing but net.
Ball State took a 12-point halftime lead and built it to as many as 18 on a couple of occasions midway through the second stanza. Ohio made a charge to cut the deficit to 51-41 only to see Teague put the game away.
The forward scored on three straight possessions in the paint and turned two of those plays into three-point opportunities thanks to Ohio fouls, stretching BSU’s cushion back to 59-44 with 3:58 remaining.
The win snapped a seven-game losing streak to Ohio in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals last defeated the Bobcats at home back in 2009.
Jarron Coleman and Kyle Mallers each added 10 points for Ball State. Coleman also equaled his season high with nine rebounds.
Ben Vander Plas had 12 points and nine boards for Ohio, while Lunden McDay chipped in with 11 points.
The Cardinals, who own the league’s best scoring defense, held the Bobcats 17 points below their season average.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)