In a matter of eight seconds of Wednesday night's game against Central Michigan University, Ball State University men's basketball freshman forward Mo Hubbard showed exactly how bad his team wants to win a Mid-American Conference West Division title.
Hubbard stuffed Central Michigan center Brandon Ford's dunk attempt at the 13:14 mark in the second half, and then ran the length of the court and was fed for a soaring finger roll at the 13:06 mark to give the Cardinals a 36-27 lead against the Chippewas.
The momentum swing would prove enough as Ball State defeated Central Michigan 53-44 in the Cardinals' first of four remaining games against MAC West foes to end the regular season.
"That was a huge play that started on the defensive end on the floor," Ball State coach Billy Taylor said of Hubbard's play. "It was really just a great effort."
The Cardinals (13-13, 7-6 MAC), who entered the game tied atop the MAC West standings with Western Michigan University, took a one-game lead in the division because of the Broncos' 78-63 loss at Northern Illinois University Wednesday.
Hubbard's hustle play was one of several to bring the home crowd to its feet. With one second remaining in the first half, senior guard Brandon Lampley drove to the free-throw line, stepped back and swished a fadeaway jumper to the delight of the Worthen Arena crowd and his teammates alike to take a 25-14 lead into halftime.
"It just gave us a little more momentum going into the half," Lampley said. "[The shot] was kind of like a dagger before the half, so it was good so we could extend our lead in the second half."
Ball State had to deal with the hot hand of Central Michigan junior guard Robbie Harman throughout the second half. Harman had two points in the first half but exploded for 21 second-half points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field to keep the Chippewas into the game.
"You never want to let somebody get going," Lampley said. "I give [Harman] credit - he just played hard and made shots."
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Lampley with a team-high 11 points with an added four rebounds, two assists and three steals. Freshman center Jarrod Jones and Hubbard added nine points, while senior guard Laron Frazier finished with eight points and six rebounds for the Cardinals.
Taylor said he was pleased with his team's all-around performance on offense. Eight of the nine Ball State players who played scored in the game compared to four of 10 from Central Michigan.
"It was nice for us to get production from so many different guys on our team," Taylor said. "We need to take that same mentality on the road and get production from all 12, 13 guys."
Central Michigan was paced by Harman's game-best 23 points. Junior forward Jacolby Hardiman added nine points, while junior guard Jordan Bitzer had eight points and a game-high eight rebounds in the loss.
Ball State returns to play on Saturday as it travels to DeKalb, Ill., to face Northern Illinois (9-17, 4-9 MAC) looking to improve on its 1-5 record on the road in MAC play and hoping to build on its lead in the West with the regular season winding down.
"Every game we play is a big game," Frazier said. "Going to Northern, we need to go there and win that game so we can take advantage in the conference."
BoxscoreCentral Michigan vs. Ball State2/25/09, 7:00 p.m. at John E. Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)
CENTRAL MICHIGAN 44, BALL STATE 53
Central Michigan (9-17, 5-8 MAC)Name FGM-FGA FTM-FTA PTSHardiman 4-6 1-4 9, Van 0-5 0-0 0, Bitzer 2-6 4-4 8, Harman 8-17 3-4 23, Weary 0-2 0-0 0, Allen 2-3 0-0 4, Bridges 0-3 0-0 0, Ford 0-3 0-1 0, Eddie 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-45 8-13 44.
Ball State (13-13, 7-6 MAC)Name FGM-FGA FTM-FTA PTSPerry 0-0 5-6 5, Jones 2-7 5-9 9, Lampley 4-8 2-5 11, Frazier 3-6 2-4 8, Giles 3-10 1-2 7, Davis 0-0 0-1 0, Wormely 1-2 0-0 2, Hubbard 4-5 1-3 9, Sneed 0-5 2-4 2. Totals: 17-43 18-34 53.
3-point goals: Central Michigan 4-11 (Harman 4-9, Bitzer 0-2), Ball State 1-3 (Lampley 1-1, Frazier 0-1, Giles 0-1).Fouled out: Central Michigan (Van, Bridges), Ball State (None).Assists: Central Michigan 5 (Hardiman 2), Ball State 8 (Perry, Lampley, Frazier 2).Total fouls: Central Michigan 27, Ball State 12.Technical fouls: Central Michigan (Weary), Ball State (none).Attendance: 3428.
Next game: Central Michigan hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday (7 p.m.), Ball State travels to Northern Illinois on Saturday (3 p.m. EST).
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