MUNCIE, INDIANA. ---The Ball State men’s basketball team took on Kent State Tuesday night. Kent came into the game as the leaders of the Mid-American Conference. 

It was a home game for the Cardinals, the penultimate game of the season in Worthen Arena.

The first half was tightly officiated with fouls being whistled regularly. Ball State led most of the way, but a late three-pointer gave Kent State a 33-32 halftime lead.

The Cardinals started the second half on a nine-point run with Jaylin Sellers scoring the first seven. The lead was never relinquished after that, and Ball State claimed victory with a final score of 82-70.

The team improved to 20-8 on the season and 12-1 at home. Head coach Michael Lewis praised the fans for bringing energy to the nest. 

“The crowd, the student section, if that’s their last game that they can see this year, that’s pretty good,” Lewis said. 

The head coach complimented the effort of his team as well.

“I was just really pleased the entire night with our competitive spirit,” Lewis said. “I thought it was at a really high level which is what we’ve been building towards.”

Sophomore guard Jaylin Sellers led the team with 20 points in just 20 minutes shooting seven of nine from the floor. He discussed how the crowd helps the team’s performance.

“When we make a big play and you just hear the crowd behind you, how can you not just keep playing hard, keep trying to make plays for your teammates, and play good basketball for them?” Sellers said.

Junior guard Luke Bumbalough was called on to start and proved his worth, notching 13 points including three triples as well as four assists.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Bumbalough. “The energy was great, and who’s not going to have fun when there’s a crowd like that?

The Cardinals have three games remaining before the MAC tournament begins March 9.

Contact Isaiah Rosner with comments at isaiah.rosner@bsu.edu 

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