It was a clash of Mid-American Conference divisional leaders on Sunday as the West-leading Ball State University men's basketball team took on East-leading University at Buffalo at Worthen Arena.
Fifteen tied scores and lead changes later, the Cardinals handed the Bulls a 53-51 upset in front of a crowd of 3,565, snapping Buffalo's nine-game winning streak and putting the Cardinals in better position for a division title heading into the MAC Tournament beginning March 10.
"I think it was just a win that we needed," freshman center Jarrod Jones said. "We've lost three in a row and came in here with the mindset that we're going to beat the No. 1 team - we've been close with many teams, so we just put two halves together and finally got this victory."
Jones led the way for Ball State (11-12, 6-5 MAC) with a game high-tying 13 points and a game-best nine rebounds and two blocks. Senior guards Rob Giles and Brandon Lampley rounded out the three Cardinal scorers in double digits, as Giles had 11 points and Lampley scored 10 and added a game-high four assists in the win.
Buffalo (17-6, 9-2 MAC) was led by junior forward Max Boudreau's 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Senior forward/center Vadim Fedotov added eight points for the Bulls.
Taylor said the key on defense was stopping Buffalo's guard trio of Greg Gamble, Calvin Betts and Rodney Pierce. Averaging 32.8 points per game this season, the Cardinals held the three to 12 points on 5-of-23 shooting on Sunday.
"That was really a big key for us was trying to keep their guards under control," Taylor said. "They have so much firepower from their backcourt, [and] they're
really tough to cover."
Freshman forward Mo Hubbard sparked the Cardinals in the second half with several hustle plays that brought the home crowd to its feet. A free throw from Betts gave Buffalo a 49-48 lead with 3:59 left, but Hubbard's no-look pass to Giles underneath turned into a conventional 3-point play for Ball State, and the Cardinals took a 51-49 lead with 2:07 remaining.
On the final score of the game, Hubbard's offensive putback with 1:09 remaining in the game sealed the victory.
The loss gave the Bulls, which were off to their best start since the 1964-65 season, their first loss against the West division this season, and gave the Cardinals a one-game lead over Western Michigan University, who lost 64-46 to Miami University on Saturday.
Ball State has five games remaining against the West and one other non-conference matchup remaining before the tournament.
"It's nice to be in this position where you control your own destiny," coach Billy Taylor said. "I couldn't be more proud of what the guys have been able to accomplish this far."
and I'm excited that we're in such a great position and hopefully we'll be able to continue to match the effort that we put out today."
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