Ball State players and coaches stressed the importance of not falling in love with 3-point shots against South Dakota’s zone, but ironically it was the long ball that saved the win on Saturday.
The Cardinals (5-4) hit 5-of-6 shots from behind the arc in the second half to beat the Coyotes (4-7) 80-73 for the second time in a week.
Freshman guard Marcus Posley scored a career-high 20 points, including two consecutive 3-pointers to give Ball State the lead with 3:29 left.
A three-point play by junior forward Chris Bond just over a minute later close the door on South Dakota’s comeback as Ball State closed out the game with free throws from then on.
Junior guard Jesse Berry led the Cardinals in scoring with 22 points and forward Majok Majok also finished in double figures with 11 points. Majok grabbed 13 rebounds to secure his fourthdouble-double of the season.
After scoring only three points in the first meeting, a 62-51 win by Ball State, South Dakota’s Juevol Myles scored a game-high 24 points, going 15-of-16 from the foul line to keep his team in it.
Saturday’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak on the road that dated back to Jan. 21 of last season when Ball State beat Northern Illinois.
More positive news for the Cardinals came in the form of junior forward Tyler Koch.
Koch played nine minutes and grabbed three rebounds after missing the first eight games of the season due to surgery on his thumb.
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