LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Ball State played two-time defending Patriot League champion Bucknell to the wire on the road Wednesday before the Bison emerged with an 87-83 win at Sojka Pavilion.
Junior point guard Tayler Persons . . .
Junior point guard Tayler Persons . . .
. . . led the Cardinals with 21 points, reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career. Zach Gunn and Kyle Mallers scored 13 points each, and Trey Moses added 12 in his most extensive action since returning from a preseason injury.
“I thought we played a really good game,” Ball State head coach James Whitford said. “We had a couple possessions maybe that weren’t perfect. But like I told our guys in the locker room, this team right here is an NCAA tournament team, and we just went into their gym and played well enough to win the game. They should keep their heads up. I thought our guys battled against very good competition.”
Ball State led 81-80 with two minutes to play, but Bucknell hit four free throws over the next minute and a half to take an 84-81 lead. The Cardinals had the ball with 25 seconds left but were whistled for a moving screen that drew the ire of the Ball State bench.
Ball State then tried to trap in the back court, but Bucknell broke it for a Bruce Moore dunk that put the Bison up five and all but sealed the outcome. Persons hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it a three-point game, but that was as close as the Cardinals could get.
Ball State (1-4) and Bucknell (2-4) had played two of the nation’s top-40 schedules entering the night, according to Ken Pomeroy. The Bison, who return their top nine scorers from last season’s NCAA tournament team, are rated as a top-80 squad by Pomeroy this year. Their top scorer Zach Thomas led the way Wednesday with 22 points and eight rebounds.
“When you play the schedule we’ve played, you can’t be consumed with wins and losses,” Whitford said. “We’re 1-4, but we’re this close to being 3-2. I told our guys, ‘Don’t be consumed with that stuff; just be consumed with getting better.’ I thought in that regard, we got better tonight.”
Ball State’s six-point lead midway through the first half was the largest of the night for either team. Bucknell edged its way back, and it was a tie game late in the half before a quick spurt of five points from Mallers helped the Cardinals take a 44-39 lead into the break.
The second half was back and forth. Ball State again led by as many as six on two occasions, the last time at 79-73 after a Francis Kiapway 3-pointer with 5:29 to play. But Bucknell outscored BSU 14-4 the rest of the way.
Persons, who added six assists, got to the free throw line nine times on the night and made all of them. He reached the 1,000 point mark in just 69 career games. Moses played a season-high 22 minutes on the way to his 12 points, and Gunn’s 13 were the most of his young freshman season.
Wednesday’s game was the fourth in eight days for the Cardinals, who played in Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Pennsylvania during that stretch.
Ball State will visit Indiana State on Saturday for the third of three straight road games. Tip time is set for 1 p.m. from the Hulman Center on ESPN3.
Saturday’s game is the first of 10 straight contests for the Cardinals inside the state of Indiana. Eight of those will be played at Worthen Arena.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
Ball State led 81-80 with two minutes to play, but Bucknell hit four free throws over the next minute and a half to take an 84-81 lead. The Cardinals had the ball with 25 seconds left but were whistled for a moving screen that drew the ire of the Ball State bench.
Ball State then tried to trap in the back court, but Bucknell broke it for a Bruce Moore dunk that put the Bison up five and all but sealed the outcome. Persons hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to make it a three-point game, but that was as close as the Cardinals could get.
Ball State (1-4) and Bucknell (2-4) had played two of the nation’s top-40 schedules entering the night, according to Ken Pomeroy. The Bison, who return their top nine scorers from last season’s NCAA tournament team, are rated as a top-80 squad by Pomeroy this year. Their top scorer Zach Thomas led the way Wednesday with 22 points and eight rebounds.
“When you play the schedule we’ve played, you can’t be consumed with wins and losses,” Whitford said. “We’re 1-4, but we’re this close to being 3-2. I told our guys, ‘Don’t be consumed with that stuff; just be consumed with getting better.’ I thought in that regard, we got better tonight.”
Ball State’s six-point lead midway through the first half was the largest of the night for either team. Bucknell edged its way back, and it was a tie game late in the half before a quick spurt of five points from Mallers helped the Cardinals take a 44-39 lead into the break.
The second half was back and forth. Ball State again led by as many as six on two occasions, the last time at 79-73 after a Francis Kiapway 3-pointer with 5:29 to play. But Bucknell outscored BSU 14-4 the rest of the way.
Persons, who added six assists, got to the free throw line nine times on the night and made all of them. He reached the 1,000 point mark in just 69 career games. Moses played a season-high 22 minutes on the way to his 12 points, and Gunn’s 13 were the most of his young freshman season.
Wednesday’s game was the fourth in eight days for the Cardinals, who played in Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Pennsylvania during that stretch.
Ball State will visit Indiana State on Saturday for the third of three straight road games. Tip time is set for 1 p.m. from the Hulman Center on ESPN3.
Saturday’s game is the first of 10 straight contests for the Cardinals inside the state of Indiana. Eight of those will be played at Worthen Arena.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
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