MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State now has its longest winning streak in 18 years after closing non-conference play Friday with a 75-54 victory over Florida A&M.
Sophomore forward Tahjai Teague led the way with 16 points and Trey Moses had a double-double as the Cardinals (9-4) won their eighth consecutive game. It’s the longest streak for the program since the 1999-2000 season.
Ball State shook off . . .
Sophomore forward Tahjai Teague led the way with 16 points and Trey Moses had a double-double as the Cardinals (9-4) won their eighth consecutive game. It’s the longest streak for the program since the 1999-2000 season.
Ball State shook off . . .
. . . a slow start and put Florida A&M (1-15) away with a dominating second half. The Cardinals came out of the break on an 11-2 run and went on to outscore the Rattlers 45-28 over the final 20 minutes behind 53 percent shooting.
But it was the defense that Ball State head coach James Whitford was especially pleased with, even when his team’s shots weren’t falling early.
“One of the things we always preach is you don’t let your defense get dictated by your offense,” Whitford said. “Even for much of the first half when the game wasn’t going right, I didn’t ever feel like we let our frustration on offense dictate the way we played on defense.”
Ball State hit just four of its first 20 shots from the floor, struggling especially in the paint against a big Florida A&M lineup. The Cardinals trailed throughout the early going before Jeremie Tyler ignited things with a flurry of 3-pointers late in the first half.
Tyler connected on three consecutive triples, spotting up in transition before Florida A&M could set its defense. His buckets came as part of a 13-2 run that turned a 19-15 deficit into a 28-21 lead. The Cardinals controlled things from there.
“When we had our greatest success, really in both halves, was in transition,” Whitford said. “I thought the difference between the first half and the second half was getting accustomed to how much their size surprisingly impacted our ability to score at the rim.”
Ball State made 10 3-pointers on the night, including the 200th career trey for senior guard Francis Kiapway. He became just the fourth BSU player to ever reach the mark, joining Jesse Berry (224), Jauwan Scaife (203) and Patrick Jackson (202).
Moses scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards for his second double-double in the past three games, while Tayler Persons also added 10 points. Tyler and Ishmael El-Amin joined a balanced scoring attack with nine points, while Sean Sellers had eight and Kyle Mallers seven.
Ball State, which has been outrebounding its opponents by eight per game during its winning streak, held a 39-30 advantage on the glass.
The Cardinals limited Florida A&M to 39.6 percent shooting for the night. Desmond Williams (20 points) and Marcus Barham (18) combined for 38 of the Rattlers’ 54 points.
Ball State will open Mid-American Conference play next week with two home games. The Cardinals host Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Buffalo at 2 p.m. Saturday.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
But it was the defense that Ball State head coach James Whitford was especially pleased with, even when his team’s shots weren’t falling early.
“One of the things we always preach is you don’t let your defense get dictated by your offense,” Whitford said. “Even for much of the first half when the game wasn’t going right, I didn’t ever feel like we let our frustration on offense dictate the way we played on defense.”
Ball State hit just four of its first 20 shots from the floor, struggling especially in the paint against a big Florida A&M lineup. The Cardinals trailed throughout the early going before Jeremie Tyler ignited things with a flurry of 3-pointers late in the first half.
Tyler connected on three consecutive triples, spotting up in transition before Florida A&M could set its defense. His buckets came as part of a 13-2 run that turned a 19-15 deficit into a 28-21 lead. The Cardinals controlled things from there.
“When we had our greatest success, really in both halves, was in transition,” Whitford said. “I thought the difference between the first half and the second half was getting accustomed to how much their size surprisingly impacted our ability to score at the rim.”
Ball State made 10 3-pointers on the night, including the 200th career trey for senior guard Francis Kiapway. He became just the fourth BSU player to ever reach the mark, joining Jesse Berry (224), Jauwan Scaife (203) and Patrick Jackson (202).
Moses scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards for his second double-double in the past three games, while Tayler Persons also added 10 points. Tyler and Ishmael El-Amin joined a balanced scoring attack with nine points, while Sean Sellers had eight and Kyle Mallers seven.
Ball State, which has been outrebounding its opponents by eight per game during its winning streak, held a 39-30 advantage on the glass.
The Cardinals limited Florida A&M to 39.6 percent shooting for the night. Desmond Williams (20 points) and Marcus Barham (18) combined for 38 of the Rattlers’ 54 points.
Ball State will open Mid-American Conference play next week with two home games. The Cardinals host Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Buffalo at 2 p.m. Saturday.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
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