ILLINOIS STATE 85, BALL STATE 64
CANISIUS 65, BUFFALO 64
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Normally, shooting 49.1 percent from the field will be good enough to win. However, when the visiting team hits 58.5 percent, the recipe changes to a loss.
That is what happened Saturday, with Miami (5-5) taking the loss as the RedHawks fell to hot-shooting Bellarmine (6-7) . It was the fifth consecutive loss for MU, which opened the years reeling off five straight victories.
Junior Alec Pfriem, a 6-5 guard, led the Knights with 22 points. He hit 8 of 10 shots from the field overall and went 6 of 8 outside the arc. Senior C J Fleming backed him up with 18 points, while Dylan Penn (16 points, 10 assists) and Curt Hopf (10) also reached double figures.
Dae Dae Grant led the RedHawks with 22 points, but Precious Ayeh (13) was the only other MU player in double figures. Delonte Brown and Mekhi Lairy combined for 18 points.
Miami quickly went in front and owned its largest lead, 30-22, with 3:27 remaining in the first stanza. Bellarmine, however, battled back to train by two 34-32 at intermission.
Pfriem, who had six of BU's nine triples on the day, hit a pair of treys early in the second stanza to keep the Knight's close. Bellarmine then started to drive the ball in side with success. Hopf's bucket from close range at 15:02 gave Bellarmine its first lead, 42-41.
Miami forged two ties after that, with the last at 50-all at 9:58. However, the Knights then reeled off eight straight points.
Grant, who had 20 points in MU's loss at Clemson Tuesday, accounted for all of MU's next eight points to keep the Miami within striking distance, but the RedHawks never got closer than six down the stretch.
NOTES:
• Bellarmine, a member of the ASUN Conference, opened with five straight losses against tough competition -- No. 7 Purdue, Murray State, St Mary's, No. 1 Gonzaga and UCLA. All but the latter were on the road. Since then, the Knights have won six of eight. That run started with a 76-69 victory over Central Michigan.
• Thanks to its ability to get inside, Bellarmine connected on 66.7 percent from the field and outscored the hosts 40-34 during the second half. Penn hit eight shots from inside the paint. "They did a good job of putting him out in space, and he was able to work downhill," Miami Head Coach Jack Owens said. "he made some plays down the stretch with his postups and his drives. ... He really got going in the second half."
• Overall, Bellarmine also had a 16-4 edge in points off of turnovers.
• Miami had a 32-23 advantage in rebounds and 13-2 edge in second-chance points.
• MU has just one more outing before opening conference play. The RedHawks host Spalding Tuesday and will be at Buffalo Dec. 29.
• Owens on the Bellarmine offense: "They use their entire possession running their offense to where you need to stay disciplined and stay connected. But they did make some threes over the top of us that were timely and costly for us."
NORMAL, Ill. – Tyler Cochran led the Cardinals with 14 points and seven rebounds as Ball State returned to the hardwood against Illinois State on Saturday. The Cardinals fell to 4-6 on the year, while the Redbirds improved to 7-5 as ISU defeated BSU 85-64.
Cochran produced his third-straight game in double figures and tallied his third game leading Ball State in rebounds. Demarius Jacobs led the squad with three assists. Kani Acree notched a team-high two steals. Mickey Pearson Jr. recorded the only block for the Cardinals. As a team, BSU collected 34 rebounds and 11 of the 13 players recorded at least one board. Payton Sparks was second on the team with eight points.
The Cardinals started the game slow and were down 8-0 early. Sparks ended the scoring drought and put BSU on the board with a second-chance jumper with 16:44 left in the first. Illinois State saw its biggest lead reach 13, 15-2, with 14:08 left in the first.
Ball State made its next two shots as Cochran and Jaylin Sellers each knocked down a 3-pointer. The Cardinals were able to cut the lead to five, 27-22, with 4:06 left in the half. Luke Bumbalough drained a 3-pointer as time was expiring in the first half.
The early 8-0 deficit was the difference as the Redbirds took a 37-29 lead into the half.
Ball State managed to pull within five points, 42-37, early in the second half. Unfortunately, the Redbirds went on a 12-0 run and took a 54-37 lead with 14:04 left in the stanza. With just under three minutes left in regulation, Illinois State saw its lead reach 30, 82-52.
Josiah Strong tallied a game-high 23 points to lead ISU. Antonio Reeves chipped in with 17 points, while Sy Chatman scored 10. Kendall Lewis brought down a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cardinals are back at home for the final time in 2021 on Tuesday, Dec. 21. Ball State will look to bounce back as BSU welcomes Eastern Illinois to Worthen Arena. Game time is scheduled for a 7 p.m. jump.
BUFFALO, NY -- The Bulls turnover opened the door, and Ahamadou Fofana stepped through it to hit a 3-point shot with one-second remaining to give visiting Canisius a 65-64 victory Saturday at the Key Bank Center.
Armond Harried led all scorers with 20 points and was one of four CU starters in double figures. Jeenathan Williams led UB with 13 points and 14 rebounds, although he was 3 of 22 from the field overall. David Skogman and Travon Fagan also reached double figures with 12 apiece.
Buffalo was good on 35.2 percent from the field and 18.2 percent (4 of 22) on treys. The Golden Griffins hit 41.5 percent overall and 25 percent from deep.
Canisius owned a 37-25 lead at intermission, but a 15-2 Bulls run gave Put UB in front 50-49 with 10:25 left. It remained close after that and Buffalo led 64-60 after Skogman's jumper at 1:26. Xzavier Long put back his own miss with 13 second left and a UB turnover with four ticks left gave Fofana the chance he needed to drill a game-winner.