Most of the 2,786 people in Worthen Arena stood in shock after seeing Ball State blow its lead with just seconds remaining.
With 16.3 left in the fourth quarter, Ball State was ahead. Ten seconds later, it was gone.
The Ball State men’s basketball team went on to lose 65-67 in overtime to Northern Illinois.
Ball State dropped to 1-7 in the Mid-American Conference after the team could not connect on the last shot of the game. The Cardinals led most of the game, but the Huskies would regain a 57-56 lead with 2:39 left in regulation and ultimately led to a Cardinal loss.
“Defensively, [Northern Illinois is] exceptional,” Ball State head coach James Whitford said. “I thought our guys played well enough to win.”
The Cardinals had trouble containing Aaric Armstead as he paced the Huskies with 14 points. But once they figured Armstead out, Travon Baker would become the point of emphasis for Ball State. Baker hit a key three-pointer toward the end of regulation and in overtime as he finished with 8 points and six assists.
Senior forward Chris Bond was a catalyst for the Cardinals as he scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds. Bond started off the game with 8 points as he hit two three-pointers from the left corner in the first half.
“[Bond] stepped up,” Northern Illinois head coach Mark Montgomery said. “He’s a matchup problem, plays hard, he’s always on the glass, he’s active — he’s one of those players that I want to have in my program.”
Going into tonight’s matchup, the Cardinals were leading the Huskies in every offensive statistical category. But it wouldn’t matter as Ball State dropped to 4-15 on the season.
The game was chippy in the first half as both teams were playing with full intensity. On a Huskies possession at the 6:49 mark, both teams got into a shoving match as Bond and Armstead dove on the floor for a loose ball.
There, it would turn into a mass pileup as Whitford and Montgomery had to come from the bench to separate their players.
“I thought Ball State’s defense and their tenacity was unbelievable in the first half,” Montgomery said. “That’s what we try to live on.”
No one received any ejections or technical fouls as a result.
Freshman guard Zavier Turner played 38 minutes in the game and finished with 11 points and two assists. Saturday became the 13th time the true freshman has reached double figures this season. Turner landed awkwardly after getting fouled on a driving layup in the paint at the 12:54 mark. He made the shot and the ensuing free throw before limping to the bench.
All-MAC center Majok Majok fouled out of the contest toward the end of regulation. He finished with 9 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in his 26 minutes of play.
Sophomore forward Bo Calhoun played significant minutes for the Cardinals in place of Majok. Calhoun scored 7 points and grabbed five rebounds in his 17 minutes of play.
Ball State committed 15 turnovers, almost two less than its season average, which led to 23 points off turnovers for the Huskies. The Huskies committed the same amount of turnovers, but the Cardinals scored only 8 points off them.
“I was surprised that number is as high as it was.” Whitford said.
Ball State’s loss to Northern Illinois puts the team behind the Huskies in the standings. The only team below is the Central Michigan, which sits at 0-8 in MAC play.
“I definitely think we’re making progress,” senior guard Jesse Berry said. “It’s not a doubt in my mind that we’re getting better every day.”
The Cardinals will travel Wednesday to New York to play Buffalo. On Jan. 23, the Cardinals beat the Bulls 71-68 at home.
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