Ball State outlasts Western Michigan 84-78
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Tayler Persons scored 24 points, Franko House added 18, and Ball State outlasted Western Michigan for an 84-78 win on Saturday.
Western Michigan trailed the entire second half, but Thomas Wilder twice cut the deficit to two -- first on a jumper with 4:05 left to make it 71-69, and one possession later answering House's 3-pointer at 74-72.
Tucker Haymond's jumper for the Broncos cut it to 79-76 with 59 seconds left, but the Cardinals -- the best free-throw shooting team in the Mid-American Conference -- made 5 of 6 from the line down the stretch to seal it.
Ball State (14-7, 5-3) led 44-34 at the break and by as many as 14 points in the second half. Sean Sellers' 3-pointer with 12:33 left capped an 8-0 run and gave the Cardinals a 59-45 lead. Persons was 9 of 11 from the field, and Ball State shot 58.3 percent (28 for 48) overall.
Haymond finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting for Western Michigan (6-14, 2-6). Wilder added 19 points.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Frank Spencer
- Darryl Smith
- John Floyd
2023-24 Mid-American Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 14-4 | - | 20-12 |
| Akron | 13-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
| Ohio | 13-5 | 1 | 20-13 |
| Central Michigan | 12-6 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Bowling Green | 10-8 | 4 | 20-14 |
| Miami (OH) | 9-9 | 5 | 15-17 |
| Western Michigan | 9-9 | 5 | 12-20 |
| Kent State | 8-10 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Ball State | 7-11 | 7 | 15-16 |
| Eastern Michigan | 6-12 | 8 | 13-18 |
| Northern Illinois | 5-13 | 9 | 11-20 |
| Buffalo | 2-16 | 12 | 4-27 |
Men's College Basketball News
