Tahjai Teague for his all-around game that has etched his name all over the BSU record book. Kyle Mallers as an iron man who has never missed a single game. And Josh Thompson for carving out his own legacy in his dad's old gym.
All three of them had . . .
Teague recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds despite playing only 22 minutes because of foul trouble. Mallers scored 15 points, hit 8-of-9 from the foul line and swatted away three shots. Thompson, meanwhile, registered six points and a team-high four assists, burying a pair of early 3-pointers as BSU built its lead.
Ball State hit 8-of-16 from deep as a team in the first half on the way to opening up a 41-25 advantage.
The Cardinals held Central Michigan (13-17, 6-11 MAC) to 38 percent shooting for the night, including a 4-of-20 performance from 3-point range. A big part of that was limiting David DiLeo, one of the MAC's top sharpshooters, to just three attempts from beyond the arc of which he made only one.
"We really set the tone for the game with our defense really the whole first half," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "I thought we played defensively great for 35 minutes. Any time we're playing that way, we give ourselves a great chance to win the game."
The only five minutes Whitford wouldn't put in that category came at the beginning of the second half. Central Michigan trimmed the 16-point halftime deficit all the way to four at 43-39 after hitting six of its first seven shots after the break.
Ball State, however, regrouped after a timeout with a strong Teague bucket in the paint followed by a Mallers 3-pointer. The Cardinals controlled things the rest of the way to finish 8-1 at home in conference play.
BSU got a strong performance from the bench for the third straight game. The 27 points from reserves were the most for the Cardinals in a league game this season.
Eleven of those came from Luke Bumbalough, who came off the bench as Thompson entered the Senior Night starting lineup. Nine of them (and eight rebounds) came from Miryne Thomas, who saw extended minutes with Teague in foul trouble and received a loud ovation from the crowd when he exited. And seven came from Kani Acree.
But this night was about the senior trio, from the traditional pregame ceremony to the final minute when they subbed out to cheers from the crowd and a hug from their coach.
"It's a really special group of seniors when you look at what they've accomplished," Whitford said. "They've had great careers. Each one has its own different story, but I'm really proud of what each one has accomplished here. You want it to end on a great note, and this is the first step for us in having it end on a great note for them."
The next step comes Friday at 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) when Ball State closes the regular season at Northern Illinois, looking for a season sweep of the Huskies.
A win would give the Cardinals a share of the MAC West Division championship for the third time in five years and a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. BSU would earn the No. 3 seed and earn a trip straight to Cleveland for the quarterfinals.