Dennis Trammell decided to give himself a day-early graduation present.
The senior guard, who received his bachelor's degree Sunday, scored a game-high 17 points and led the defensive effort against Indiana State swingman David Moss in Ball State's 65-59 victory over the Sycamores. The Cardinals improved to 5-2 with Saturday's win in Worthen Arena, while ISU (5-3) had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Moss came in averaging 19.7 points and 8.1 rebounds, but he did not score from the field for the game's first 35 minutes and finished with just seven points on 2 of 6 shooting. Matt McCollom also took some turns against the ISU junior, but when Trammell was in, he guarded Moss.
"The (scouting) report said he liked to go baseline," Trammell said, "so I tried to force him to the middle. In the post, I tried to keep him from getting angles."
"I thought Dennis did a good job on David," BSU coach Tim Buckley said. "(Moss) reminds me a lot of Dennis in that he doesn't change his demeanor. He's not only a very good scorer, but a very good passer."
Trammell scored 13 of his points in the first half, including eight in an 12-0 run that put the Cards up 29-18. They carried a 32-23 advantage into halftime.
Indiana State had opened the game by taking an 11-2 lead, but Peyton Stovall six-straight points capped a 10-0 run that was BSU's response.
"I thought our timing and rhythm were off (early on)," Buckley said. "These are two tough basketball games. They took the fight to us, then we took the fight to them, and then we were both fighting."
Moss went to bench with his fourth foul just 3:15 into the second half. The Sycamores trailed 38-28 at the time, but starting guards Tyson Schnitker and Eric Gray spearheaded a comeback. Both nailed a pair of three-pointers, including Gray's with 11:51 left that made it 45-44 BSU.
Stovall responded with a pair of foul shots, but McCollom was whistled for a technical foul on the next possession. Gray hit the subsequent free throws and Schnitker canned a jumper that gave the Sycamores their last lead.
McCollom redeemed himself, finding Terrance Chapman down low for a hoop, then draining a pair of free throws to make it 51-48. Chapman scored four points, and Mills and Anthony Kent nailed jumpers to push it the advantage to 59-52.
The Sycamores couldn't get any closer than two after that as they missed their final eight attempts from three-point range.
"I hate to make an indictment, but my feeling is we took too many quick three-point shots," Indiana State coach Royce Waltman said.
Gray and Amani Daanish (nine rebounds) scored 14 points to pace the Sycamores, with Schnitker adding 12.
Chapman and Stovall backed Trammell with 16 apiece. Chapman also secured 11 rebounds, and 12 of his points came after halftime. The Cardinals outrebounded the Sycamores 42-29.
TOUGH GUY EXEMPLIFIED
Chapman took a blow to the chin in the first half and received a gash above his right eye in the second half. The second one sent him to the lockerroom briefly in order to have it bandaged, but returned to score 10 points in the final 10 minutes.
After the game, the senior forward received two stitches on his chin and four above his eye.
"You either get better or you get worse, so if you're a tough guy you get tougher," Buckley said of Chapman. "He plays through adversity and makes plays. He reminds me of Theron Smith (a star forward a few years ago). He goes and gets the big rebound and he gets the big shot."
On the season, Chapman is averaging 12.6 points and 9.9 rebounds.
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