Ball State men's basketball drops season finale to Northern Illinois

<p>Junior Tayler Persons looks to pass while playing against Western Michigan at John E. Worthen Feb. 23. The Cardinals fell 80-87. <strong>Jack Hart, DN</strong></p>

Junior Tayler Persons looks to pass while playing against Western Michigan at John E. Worthen Feb. 23. The Cardinals fell 80-87. Jack Hart, DN

Tayler Persons had a shot to hit yet another game winner in Dekalb, Illinois on Friday night. Unlike numerous other times this season, however, the shot didn't go in.

Ball State fell on the road in its final game of the regular season to the least winning team in the Mid-American Conference Northern Illinois, 66-65.

The Cardinals led most of the second half after scoring 15 straight points against the Huskies. Ball State, which led by as many as seven points in the second half, didn't lose its lead until Northern Illinois' sophomore Eugene German hit a jumpshot with 16 seconds left. 

During the contest, Persons finished with a team-high 23 points but was overshadowed by the conference's leading scorer, German, who finished with 25 points. 

With the loss, Ball State (19-12, 10-8 MAC) remains on edge in terms of seeing its seed in the MAC Tournament. Currently in fourth place in the conference, Ball State has to wait to see the winner of tomorrow's Western Michigan and Central Michigan game.

If Western Michigan loses, Ball State will be the No. 4 seed and receive a guaranteed spot in Cleveland. If the Broncos win, however, the Cardinals will be pushed down to the No. 5 seed and be forced to play one last game in Worthen Arena on Monday night. 

The game between Western Michigan and Central Michigan was postponed due to the on-campus shooting that occurred on Central Michigan's campus Friday morning. The game will be played at 11 a.m. on the campus of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan. The game is closed to the public, with exceptions of family members and members identified by each institution.

Contact Robby General at rjgeneral@bsu.edu or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.

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