Game Statistics
Points - 78
Field goals - 24-60 (40 percent)
Three-pointers - 14-33 (42.4 percent)
Rebounds - 51
Assists - 19
Turnovers - 31
Ball State men's basketball had a slow start against Tennessee State, starting the game trailing 20-3.
The Cardinals shot 17.2 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range in the first half of the game. After hitting only one of its first 17 shots, Ball State was able to hold its own on the defensive end, winning the rebounding battle 24-17 to close out the first half.
For head coach James Whitford, it seemed like nothing else could go wrong for the Cardinals.
“We had a lot of turnovers. When we didn’t turn it over, we got great shots but they weren’t going in,” Whitford said. “We defended, we rebounded, we hung in there with our transition.”
In the second half, the flip switched for sophomore guard Jeremie Tyler and the Cardinals. Tyler came out of the locker room scoring 8 points in the first five minutes, which included a pair of 3-pointers.
Tyler would go on to finish with 16 points in regulation before setting a new career-high 25 points after bringing in 9 points in the double-overtime finisher.
“I don’t care about being the leading scorer or anything, I just wanted to win for my team, really,” Tyler said.
With the first-round victory in the CollegeInsider.com Invitational, Ball State notched its first 20-win season since 2002, which was also the last time it won a postseason game.
“We gave ourselves a chance because of the grit we had in the first half when everything was going bad,” Whitford said.
Alongside Tyler, junior forward Ryan Weber and freshman forward Trey Moses aided the offensive attack for Ball State.
Weber finished with 20 points off of six made 3-point attempts.
Moses gave Ball State its first lead of the game with his third made 3-pointer at the 5:57 mark in the second half. He notched his first career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with his six assists.
“To think about how much he’s progressed from the beginning of the year to today is incredible,” Whitford said. “He stepped up on his own and recognized when Franko [House] was out, we needed someone to make plays.”
Ball State now waits for its second round opponent in the CollegeInsiders.com Invitational Tournament. The second round begins on March 18 and lasts until March 20.
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