TOLEDO, Ohio -- Tayler Persons scored the first 17 points as Ball State led wire-to-wire in an 82-74 win Tuesday at Toledo.
The victory kept the Cardinals (19-10, 10-7 MAC) tied atop the MAC West Division and in the hunt for a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
“I thought we played . . .
The victory kept the Cardinals (19-10, 10-7 MAC) tied atop the MAC West Division and in the hunt for a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
“I thought we played . . .
. . . a complete game, and I was really proud of our effort for the full 40 minutes,” Ball State coach James Whitford said. “Certainly, Tayler came out on fire.”
Ball State is part of a five-way tie for the No. 2 seed with one game left to play and would currently be the No. 6 seed based on tiebreakers. The top four seeds receive byes in the MAC Tournament.
The Cardinals close the regular season Friday at home against Northern Illinois and can help their cause with a win. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Persons finished Tuesday night with 31 points, one shy of his career high. He hit his first eight shots from the field, including six from 3-point range, on the way to a 24-point first half.
Franko House scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half. Ryan Weber had 14 and finished a pair of key 3-point plays in the second half, including one on a highlight-reel fastbreak slam. Francis Kiapway added 12 points.
Ball State knocked down 14 3-pointers, matching its most this season against a Division I opponent. Persons’ six treys were a career high.
Ball State limited Toledo (15-15, 8-9 MAC) to 40.6 percent shooting for the night and held the Rockets to 5-of-23 from 3-point range. Jonathan Williams led UT with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, and Steve Taylor Jr. added 17 on 6-of-14.
“Our defensive numbers were outstanding, and that’s why we won the game” Whitford said. “We wanted to be able to contain Steve Taylor inside, and I thought we did a good job on him. And Jonathan Williams had a good night, but I thought Francis and Sean (Sellers) did a good job on him.”
The Cardinals led 41-36 at the half and expanded it to as many as 15 in the second half. House knocked down three 3-pointers after the break, the last of which came after Toledo trimmed the lead to 68-64 with 4:51 to play.
The Rockets cut the lead to five a few more times, but Ball State had the answer each time. The Cardinals sealed win down the stretch at the foul line.
The victory was Ball State’s fourth in the past five games and gave Ball State a sweep of the season series against Toledo. BSU is 8-1 this season against the MAC West Division.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
Ball State is part of a five-way tie for the No. 2 seed with one game left to play and would currently be the No. 6 seed based on tiebreakers. The top four seeds receive byes in the MAC Tournament.
The Cardinals close the regular season Friday at home against Northern Illinois and can help their cause with a win. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Persons finished Tuesday night with 31 points, one shy of his career high. He hit his first eight shots from the field, including six from 3-point range, on the way to a 24-point first half.
Franko House scored 17 points, including 15 in the second half. Ryan Weber had 14 and finished a pair of key 3-point plays in the second half, including one on a highlight-reel fastbreak slam. Francis Kiapway added 12 points.
Ball State knocked down 14 3-pointers, matching its most this season against a Division I opponent. Persons’ six treys were a career high.
Ball State limited Toledo (15-15, 8-9 MAC) to 40.6 percent shooting for the night and held the Rockets to 5-of-23 from 3-point range. Jonathan Williams led UT with 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, and Steve Taylor Jr. added 17 on 6-of-14.
“Our defensive numbers were outstanding, and that’s why we won the game” Whitford said. “We wanted to be able to contain Steve Taylor inside, and I thought we did a good job on him. And Jonathan Williams had a good night, but I thought Francis and Sean (Sellers) did a good job on him.”
The Cardinals led 41-36 at the half and expanded it to as many as 15 in the second half. House knocked down three 3-pointers after the break, the last of which came after Toledo trimmed the lead to 68-64 with 4:51 to play.
The Rockets cut the lead to five a few more times, but Ball State had the answer each time. The Cardinals sealed win down the stretch at the foul line.
The victory was Ball State’s fourth in the past five games and gave Ball State a sweep of the season series against Toledo. BSU is 8-1 this season against the MAC West Division.
(Courtesy of BSU Athletics)
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