Ball State stats
Field goal percentage: 33.9%
Three-point percentage: 25.0%
Free throw percentage: 57.9%
Rebounds: 51
Assists: 11
Turnovers: 15
With 20 seconds remaining in overtime trailing Eastern Michigan by two, freshman Sean Sellers took a pass behind the three-point line from teammate Franko House. The leading scorer on the Ball State men’s basketball team, Sellers was having an off-night. He had already missed a potential game-winner in regulation and was shooting two-of-eight from behind the arc.
But shooters keep shooting, and Sellers buried the three, giving Ball State a 60-59 overtime victory.
“I had a lot of good looks,” Sellers said. “None of them went down. I got frustrated a little bit. My teammates did a good job of telling me to keep shooting, not get down on myself. We hung in there the whole game and battled our tails off.”
After holding a 22-20 halftime lead, Ball State opened the second half by managing just one point in eight minutes. A 12-1 Eagles’ run made the score 32-23 and it appeared as if the Cardinals’ offense had failed them again.
But then freshman guard Francis Kiapway, starting in his third game for the academically ineligible Jeremie Tyler, made a three. House followed with a basket, fifth-year senior Matt Kamieniecki made a free throw, sophomore Zavier Turner hit a jumper and redshirt junior Jeremiah Davis knocked down two at the line.
In less than three minutes, the deficit had been reduced to 34-33, with contributions from every player on the court.
Three Cardinals finished in double-figure scoring, with Sellers’ 15 a team-high.
Kamieniecki led Ball State with 14 rebounds in the game.
House finished with 14 points, hitting back-to-back baskets late in overtime to keep Ball State within striking distance.
“[Franko] really made huge plays down the stretch,” Whitford said. “Against their zone … you need someone that can score at the rim. The reason Sean got the three was because Franko had just scored about six straight points in and around the rim.”
Defensively, Ball State held Eastern Michigan to 27.9 percent from the field and 6-of-25 from behind the arc, helping to cover up for its own offensive struggles.
“The reason we won this game was because we defended,” Whitford said. “Slowly but surely, we are becoming a good man-to-man defensive team and that’s going to go a long way for us.”
With the win, Ball State extends its win-streak to three, improves to 6-6 on the season and 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our effort,” Whitford said. “We were so competitive the whole game.”
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