by MUNCIE, Ind. — With 4:10 left in the first half of Tuesday evening’s Ball State men’s basketball game, head coach Michael Lewis stood on the sidelines with both hands on his head.
This came after the University of Massachusetts (UMass) jumped to a 30-16 lead inside Worthen Arena.
At the 12:12 mark of the second half, he continued to show his disappointment on the Ball State bench as UMass led 53-35. This was the Minutemen’s largest lead of the game, and Lewis did not know what was going on with his team.
“This is not who we are, and it’s not what we’ve been … I basically ask one thing of you. I ask you to play hard,” Lewis said. “If we’re bad, we’re bad. If we’re good, we’re good … I just didn’t feel like we had our typical fight to start the game.”
However, his attitude towards the Cardinals and their performance shifted by the end of regulation, as the contest required overtime to decide the victor. After the extra five-minute period, he was even more pleased as Ball State used a team effort to pull off an 18-point comeback to top the Minutemen 74-73.
More importantly, he saw the fight he expected from the Cardinals as they snapped a six-game Mid-American Conference (MAC) losing streak, keeping their hopes alive of making the conference tournament.
“You’ve got to give those guys all the credit because they did a lot of really good things late … I just think it speaks to who those guys are, to be quite honest,” Lewis said. “I’m super pleased that they were able to pull that off, because it would be really difficult to recover after [a loss] like that.”
While he said he was proud of his team, the Cardinals (9-19, 4-11 MAC) themselves said this was the game that proved who they are when things come together.
“It’s a big accomplishment for the whole team,” junior guard Armoni Zeigler said. “I know what this team can do. I promise you that this team can be great.”
Throughout the first half, Ball State struggled to find momentum as multiple things held them back. For starters, the Cardinals only shot 27.3 percent (9-for-33) from the field and were just 15.4 percent (2-for-13) from beyond the arc. They also had eight turnovers alone in the first 20 minutes.
Lewis said he was disappointed in the effort and that he did not know what the case was. At halftime, UMass (15-14, 6-10 MAC) led the Cardinals 34-21.
“Listen, they’re young kids fighting for it, and it hasn’t been easy. But they keep fighting,” Lewis said. “At halftime, I just challenged them that this is not who you are. This is not what you guys are about. Don’t do this because you haven’t done this all year.”
Ball State redshirt sophomore guard Davion Hill said this ‘challenge’ by their head coach was what they needed.
“He got on us hard,” Hill said. “I think it came down to him just coming in the [locker room] and telling us that no matter how our season has gone, one thing we don’t do is give up.”
Well, the Cardinals took that to heart, especially Hill.
After scoring three points in the first half, he became the spark the Cardinals needed. Layups and jump shots were his bread and butter as he recorded 18 points in the second 20 minutes.
With 2:21 left in regulation, Ball State rallied back and trailed 58-54. Then junior forward Mason Jones — who was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc before this shot — drained a corner 3-pointer to bring the Cardinals within one point.
Then, Hill was fouled with 1:32 left. This put him at the foul line, and he sank both free throws to give Ball State a 59-58 lead.
But the game was not over.
In the final minute, both the Cardinals and Minutemen traded blows as time ticked away. But a triple from UMass graduate student guard Isaiah Placide tied the contest 61-61 with 25 seconds on the clock. Though Ball State had two chances to score, both attmpts came up empty and extra time was required.
Like the final minutes of regulation, back-and-forth basketball took control of overtime as the Worthen Arena crowd grew to a new level of excitement and intensity. With that level of anticipation surrounding the court, the play also rose to a new level.
With 36 seconds left in the contest, Placide hit another 3-pointer. This time, it gave the Minutemen a 73-72 advantage.
However, the Cardinals were not worried. Zeigler — who finished the game with 10 points — drove into the paint and sank a contested layup. This gave the Cardinals a 74-73 lead, and 16 seconds later, Ball State’s defense forced a contested jump shot from UMass.
The attempt airballed the rim, and the final buzzer rang through the building.
Ballgame.
“These guys showed a lot of fight to be able to make the plays that they did tonight,” Lewis said.
The Cardinals finished overtime 5-for-8 from the field and did not turn the ball over once. During his postgame press conference, Lewis credited multiple players for their efforts. Besides Hill — who finished with a game-high 26 points — others such as Zeigler, redshirt sophomore forward Kaiden Fish and Jones all stepped up in the extra period.
Following Hill’s scoring total were Zeigler, Fish, senior guard Juwan Maxey and senior guard Elmore James IV. All four Cardinals added 10 points in the win.
Though the Cardinals still have to win out and require some help for a chance to play in the MAC Tournament, they said they want just that: a chance. Zeigler and Hill said whatever path leads to Cleveland, Ohio, is the one they are ready to follow.
And that means by going through anyone.
“I’ll say [this win] is scary for the opponents,” Zeigler said. “This team right here, when they get over the hump. Ooh. The other team’s got a rude awakening coming.”
Lewis was much more cautious in his answer, joking about the youth of his players and their lack of experience behind a microphone.
He is taking it one game at a time.
“You just got to go compete. Saturday’s no different than our opening game,” he said. “You try to play your absolute best that you’re capable of playing that day, and then everything else takes care of itself.
“It’s been the mindset all year. Whoever the next game is, that’s the most important game … These guys keep showing up, and we’ll keep putting things together.”
Ball State will head on the road Saturday, Feb. 28, as they will travel to Northern Illinois. The game will begin at 4 p.m., and this will be the final game against the Huskies as a MAC representative.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
