Senior guard Brandon Lampley's pull-up shot from the free throw line with time expiring glanced off the rim, and his game-winning attempt was no good as the Ball State University men's basketball team lost 56-55 at Northern Illinois University Saturday afternoon to fall to 13-14 (7-7 Mid-American Conference).
The Cardinals were down by as many as 10 points in the second half at the 7:40 mark with the score 48-38 before closing the game on a 17-8 run to come within one point before Lampley's shot fell to the ground to end the game.
Shooting woes plagued both teams in the first half, as Ball State shot 8-for-23 (.348) and Northern Illinois shot 9-for-29 (.310). The second half was a different story for both teams, as the Cardinals shot 13-for-23 (.565) from the field and the Huskies shot 13-for-22 (.591).
Lampley had a game-high tying 20 points on the day, while fellow senior guard Laron Frazier had 14 points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists. Senior guard/forward Rob Giles had nine points in 18 minutes, while freshman Jarrod Jones was the only other Ball State player to score with four points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds.
The Cardinals hit a season-high eight 3-pointers in the loss and shot 8-for-12 (.667) from beyond the 3-point arc. Lampley was 4-for-4, Giles was 3-for-4 and Frazier was 1-for-3 from 3-point range on the day.
Northern Illinois (10-17, 5-9 MAC) was led by sophomore guard Darion Anderson and senior forward Sean Smith. Anderson had 19 points, a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high six assists and three steals, while Smith tied Lampley for game-high honors with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting on the Huskies' senior day.
Center Ante Dzepina, starting in the place of regular center Sean Kowal who missed the game due to a head injury suffered in the Huskies win over Western Michigan University on Wednesday, added 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line.
Ball State out-rebounded Northern Illinois 17-7 in the second half and finished with a 35-30 advantage on the boards, however, the Huskies outscored the Cardinals 36-22 in the paint. The Cardinals also had 18 turnovers to the Huskies' nine in the game.
Ball State, denied its first three-game winning streak since the 2004-05 season, next plays on Wednesday at Western Michigan. With Saturday's loss, the Cardinals' lead in the MAC West Division decreased to a half-game over the Broncos, who play at the University of Toledo tonight at 7 p.m.
A win for Western Michigan, and the Cardinals and the Broncos are tied yet again atop the standings. A loss, and Ball State retains its one-game lead.
For updates on the Western Michigan/Toledo game, check back with bsudailynews.com, and for complete coverage of the Cardinals' loss to Northern Illinois, read Monday's print edition of The Ball State Daily News.
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