DEKALB, Ill. -- Too many times in the Mid-American Conference, Ball State had watched close games slip away after not making enough plays down the stretch.
Saturday the Cardinals nearly let it happen again before coming through in the final minute, and the key plays came from both ends.
Terrance Chapman made two free throws with 34.2 seconds left to break a 62-62 deadlock. Peyton Stovall then added another foul shot and came up with a game's biggest play -- a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass -- and BSU escaped Northern Illinois' Convocation Center with a 67-62 victory.
Ball State's second road victory of the season improved its record to 7-6 in the MAC and 10-11 overall and kept the team in the hunt for a league tournament bye. Northern, playing its third game with leading scorer and rebounder Marcus Smallwood on the bench due to a coach's decision, fell to 2-11 and 7-16.
"It's kind of been our calling card all year," Ball State coach Tim Buckley said of his teams penchant for close games. "Fortunately we made plays down the stretch. I'm really proud of our guys.
"It was (a matter of) coming into another tough environment, getting down to the wire and making the plays."
The Cards made plenty of plays in a 19-6 run early in the first half, giving them a 21-12 advantage. They maintained a 37-30 cushion at halftime, and after the Huskies drew within 43-42, pushed it back to 55-47 on Cameron Echols' two free throws at the 9:45 mark.
But Northern wasn't finished, especially Perry Smith.
The senior guard had missed his first nine shots from the field but scored nine points to lead the Huskies within 62-59. Paige Paulsen's 3-pointer from right corner tied the game with 1:11 to go.
"I really liked how our club battled back and hung in there defensively in the end," NIU coach Rob Judson said. "We were in position to win in the end."
On Ball State's following possession, Chapman rebounded Matt McCollom's miss and drew a foul on the putback. Chapman had made just 4-of-8 prior foul shots on the day, but he rattled in both attempts.
"I felt I reacted pretty well to the pressure," Chapman said. "I had struggled earlier in the game. I just focused on the rim and to get the ball in there."
Smith and Paulsen missed 3-pointers at the other end. Chapman fouled James Hughes on the rebound, but Hughes missed two free throws and the rebound fell into Stovall's hands.
After the freshman split a pair of foul shots with 7.3 seconds left, he deflected away and secured Anthony Maestranzi's inbounding pass, his third steal of the game. Stovall then passed McCollom, who drained a pair of game-clinching free throws.
Echols paced the Cards with 18 points and seven rebounds. Although the senior forward shot 8 of 18, Buckley noted that Echols was still a factor when his shooting was sour.
"I think he wants to win, and he knows that defending is very important," Buckley said. "When Cam hasn't shot well (in the past), he hasn't defended well. (Today) when he didn't shoot well after halftime, he defended well."
Chapman (eight points) also grabbed seven boards, and Dennis Trammell scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. The Cards committed just eight turnovers and scored 20 points off of Northern's 15 miscues.
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