Cardinals’ sophomore forward Sean Sellers drove to the basket and got fouled, sending him to the free-throw line with 1.7 seconds left. The first free throw went halfway down the basket before bouncing off the rim and out.
Realization of the stakes set in at that point as head coach James Whitford called the final timeout to try and draw up a play where either freshman forward Trey Moses or senior forward Bo Calhoun could tip in the intentional missed second free throw.
“I thought we played the game the right way down the stretch,” Whitford said. “You just live with the consequences when that happens, and tonight, it didn’t go our way.”
Sellers shot the ball high in the air, and it bounced off the back of the rim and into the hands of a Columbia player, who proceeded to throw it to the other end of the court.
The game was over, and Ball State’s late-game success streak ran out on March 23.
The Cardinals ended the year with a share of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, the program had the fourth largest turnaround in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Ball State will graduate seniors Jeremiah Davis, Bo Calhoun, Bik Gill and Nate Wells.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Cardinals will gain sophomore transfer Taylor Persons, who sat this season out due to transfer ineligibility rules. Persons, along with freshman forward Tahjai Teague, will look to gain some playing time after redshirting this year.
Whitford said he was happy with the season as a whole following the 67-69 Columbia loss on March 23.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Whitford said. “For us to win a division championship was fantastic. What makes it exciting is we had one of our best seasons in a long time, and there is so much to look forward to for young guys coming back.”
Ball State finished 21-14 in Whitford’s third year at the helm. Tennessee State, Arkansas Little Rock and Saint Joseph’s are the only three teams with more improved records than Ball State.
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