BALL STATE 74, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 67
TYLER COCHRAN DEKALB, Ill. – Ball State's Tyler Cochran returned to Northern Illinois and recorded a game-high 17 points to lead the Cardinals to a 74-67 victory Thursday at the NIU Convocation Center.
Cochran, a former Huskie, notched his fourth-straight game in double figures as he had a game-high 17 points. He added six rebounds, a game-high three steals, and two assists. Miryne Thomas tallied 13 points, his fifth-consecutive game with double digits. Payton Sparks chipped in with 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and one steal. Sparks has produced double figures in nine straight. Luke Brown posted a career-high 10 points on 50 percent from the field to go along with his assist and rebound.
Keshawn Williams led NIU with 16 points and added three rebounds and a steal. Trendon Hankerson went for 12 points, six rebounds and a team-high three steals. Zool Kueth notched double digits with 12 points. Adong Makuoi and Anthony Crump each picked up 10 points for the Huskies. Kakuoi collected a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cardinals started the game on fire and jumped out to an early 12-2 in the first four minutes of play. During the stretch, BSU was 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Huskies pulled within five, 15-10 with 13:25 left in the first half. Ball State used every bit of the early 12-2 advantage as the teams traded baskets the remainder of the first as BSU took a 33-27 lead into the intermission.
Momentum subsequently shifted in favor of NIU, as the Huskies opened the second stanza on a 10-3 run and took a 37-36 lead with just over 17 minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals, however, rattled off a 7-0 run that ended with 13:04 left in the game. Ball State led 44-38 after the run.
The Huskies clawed back with an 8-0 run of their own to regain the lead, 46-44, with 11 minutes left in the game. But momentum started to shift after a big Jaylin Sellers dunk that tied the game 46-46. After the Sellers' dunk, Basheer Jihad scored Ball State's next four points to give BSU the 50-48 advantage. During a small one-minute span, Mickey Pearson Jr. scored the next four points for the Cardinals and extended the BSU lead to 54-51.
Cardinal shooting started to heat up over the remaining eight minutes. Ball State was 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to close out the game. Overall, the Cardinals held a lead for 34:56 of the game's 40 minutes.
Ball State's bench came up huge with 29 points compared to the 15 from NIU and BSU and outscored its opponent 30-22 in the pain. Northern Illinois shot 36.2 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from long range.
Cochran, a former Huskie, notched his fourth-straight game in double figures as he had a game-high 17 points. He added six rebounds, a game-high three steals, and two assists. Miryne Thomas tallied 13 points, his fifth-consecutive game with double digits. Payton Sparks chipped in with 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and one steal. Sparks has produced double figures in nine straight. Luke Brown posted a career-high 10 points on 50 percent from the field to go along with his assist and rebound.
Keshawn Williams led NIU with 16 points and added three rebounds and a steal. Trendon Hankerson went for 12 points, six rebounds and a team-high three steals. Zool Kueth notched double digits with 12 points. Adong Makuoi and Anthony Crump each picked up 10 points for the Huskies. Kakuoi collected a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cardinals started the game on fire and jumped out to an early 12-2 in the first four minutes of play. During the stretch, BSU was 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Huskies pulled within five, 15-10 with 13:25 left in the first half. Ball State used every bit of the early 12-2 advantage as the teams traded baskets the remainder of the first as BSU took a 33-27 lead into the intermission.
Momentum subsequently shifted in favor of NIU, as the Huskies opened the second stanza on a 10-3 run and took a 37-36 lead with just over 17 minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals, however, rattled off a 7-0 run that ended with 13:04 left in the game. Ball State led 44-38 after the run.
The Huskies clawed back with an 8-0 run of their own to regain the lead, 46-44, with 11 minutes left in the game. But momentum started to shift after a big Jaylin Sellers dunk that tied the game 46-46. After the Sellers' dunk, Basheer Jihad scored Ball State's next four points to give BSU the 50-48 advantage. During a small one-minute span, Mickey Pearson Jr. scored the next four points for the Cardinals and extended the BSU lead to 54-51.
Cardinal shooting started to heat up over the remaining eight minutes. Ball State was 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to close out the game. Overall, the Cardinals held a lead for 34:56 of the game's 40 minutes.
Ball State's bench came up huge with 29 points compared to the 15 from NIU and BSU and outscored its opponent 30-22 in the pain. Northern Illinois shot 36.2 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from long range.
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