Wednesday night's game between Ball State and Miami featured more than just a battle between two teams that are in the running for the MAC championship; it also featured a battle of the two best rebounders in conference play: Danny Horace and Terrance Chapman.
Chapman, who entered the game averaging 9.4 rebounds per contest, managed to grab 13 boards. However, none of those were on the offensive glass, which Chapman leads the MAC in this season with 4.06 a game.
"Stuff happens like that. I had 13 on the defensive end," Chapman said. "I was gonna try to help my team anyway I can."
Chapman also scored only six points, down from his season average of 14.6. Chapman was one for six from the floor and added four from the free throw line. Coles said he was surprised to see Chapman in single digits but also said the strategy was just to play him hard.
"I can't believe, boy, Terrance Chapman only had six points. It's hard for me to believe," he said. "Almost every possession it kind of goes through him and boy he's a big kid.
"We just try to say 'Work him, work him, work him.'"
Horace, meanwhile, pulled down 12 rebounds, 10 of which were defensive, but they came with a fight as the two battled down low all night for position. Chapman's pressure defense prevented Horace, a player who was averaging just over 16 points a game, from getting into a rhythm. Horace was only two for six shooting from the floor and finished with nine points. However two of those came with 14 seconds left and tied the game at 52. Chapman said he felt he was forcing Horace to take tough shots.
"He's a pretty good player; we battled for position all night," Chapman said. "It was pretty good. It was a battle for position. I think I made him take tough shots."
Chapman, who suffered a shoulder injury in the game at Western Michigan on Jan. 22, was forced to wear a shoulder harness after he aggravated the injury in practice this past week. Initially, Chapman was wearing the harness in games, but decided not to wear it anymore at halftime of the Northern game.
Chapman said that it was worn to prevent a further incident.
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