Sports
Ohio Holds On Late to Beat Ball State
By: Joseph Payton
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In a game where Ohio leading by as much as 25 points, it all came down to the final play. Ball State clawed back into the game and had the final possession down two points with a chance to win or send it into overtime. Trey Moses missed a desperation baseline jumper which gave Ohio the 79-77 win on Friday night in Muncie, Indiana.
Ohio jumped out to a fast start as they torched the Cardinals in the first half. The Bobcats entered halftime with a 49-30 lead and were hitting on all cylinders. Gavin Block led the charge in the first half with 12 points as Ohio shot a team total 62.1 percent from the field. The Bobcats also knocked down seven triples on 12 attempts.
But things quickly started to cool off in the second half which allowed Ball State to make a run and get back in the game. Ball State saw their first lead of the game at the 4:03 mark of the second half as Ryan Weber knocked down a shot from three-point land to give the Cardinals a 73-72 lead. Ohio quickly reclaimed the lead thanks to a foul and technical on the other end which resulted in three made free throws to make the score 75-73. From that point on, the Ohio defense took over to preserve the lead and leave Muncie with a victory.
The Bobcats had five different players score in double figures. Jordan Dartis led Ohio with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jason Carter was just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine rebounds as he scored 15 points. However, Ball State’s Trey Moses did recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. With the loss, Ball State (15-10) has now lost their past three games and sit at third in the Mid-American Conference West Division behind Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Bobcats improve to 15-8 and remain in second place in the MAC East, four games behind Akron. Ohio will travel to play Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.