 WOFFORD 66, BALL STATE 61 MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
"Overall, we just had too many opportunities that we didn't convert tonight," head coach Billy Taylor said. "We are disappointed because with four minutes to go we had the lead and were in position to win against a 26-win team from last year. We didn't value the ball late in the game, and those mistakes led to direct scoring opportunities for Wofford."
Junior forward Jarrod Jones scored a team-high 13 points and grabbed five rebounds despite battling an injury. Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife and junior guard Randy Davis each chipped in 12 points while freshman forward Chris Bond added in 10 points.
Wofford was led by reigning SoCon Player of the Year Noah Dahlman, who scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Tim Johnson posted a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds while Cameron Rundles chipped in 13 points.
Ball State came out of the gate quickly against the Terriers as it opened an early 9-3 lead four minutes into the game. Bond scored four early points with his activity in the paint while Scaife nailed a three-pointer on the wing.
Wofford settled in and ran off nine straight points to take a 12-9 lead. Dahlman scored four straight points in the run, while Rundles hit a long three-pointer to give the Terriers the lead.
TERRIERS FORGE HALFTIME ADVANTAGE
Wofford continued to add to its lead and posted a 7-0 run to take a 27-19 lead with just over four minutes left in the half. The Terriers ran their lead to double figures at 34-24 heading into the locker room as Johnson scored in the paint in the closing seconds
Ball State connected on 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from the field and just 2-of-5 (40%) from three-point land. The Cardinals were led by freshman forward Matt Kamieniecki, who scored six points off the bench and grabbed four rebounds. Davis added five first half points.
Wofford connected on 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the field and 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range in the opening half. The Terriers were led by Dahlman, who scored nine first half points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, while Rundles and Kevin Giltner each hit a pair of three-pointers.
The Cardinals came out of the halftime break scoring the first six points to narrow the gap to 34-30. Bond opened the scoring with another offensive put-back, while Davis and Scaife each hit a pair of free throws.
Ball State continued to claw back into the game as it scored seven straight to take a 37-36 lead. Scaife was the driving force in the spurt as he nailed a 3-pointer before notching a steal at half court and driving the lane for a layup. Jones gave the Cardinals their first lead since early in the first half as he scored in the paint for his third field goal of the game.
CARDINALS RESPOND
The teams went back-and-forth with the game being tied at 43-43 on another Jones basket. The Terriers responded with a 7-0 spurt as they found a couple of loose balls and Rundles hit back-to-back three-pointers. Ball State came right back with seven straight of its own to tie the game once again at 50-50 as Davis hit a long three-pointer to bring it back to even.
Wofford once again had another run in its pocket as the Terriers ran off seven straight to take a 63-57 lead with 1:37 left in the contest. The Cardinals committed back-to-back turnovers which led to five straight points from Dahlman, including an old-fashioned three-point play. The Cardinals tried to mount a last minute comeback, but Dahlman and the Terriers were able to hold on for a 66-61 victory.
Ball State finished the game shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from three-point land. The Cardinals held a 41-38 advantage on the glass as Bond grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and senior forward Malik Perry added eight rebounds.
Wofford ended the night shooting 40 percent (24-of-60) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from long range. The Terriers only committed eight turnovers while posting five steals and six blocked shots in the victory.
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play Wednesday night as it hosts divisional foe Eastern Michigan. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
Courtesy of Ball State Athletics |
