Muncie Reporter

Coleman, Jacobs Both Score Over 20 as Cardinals Extend Winning Streak to Six Games

The Ball State men's basketball team extended its winning streak to six games after a 90-83 road victory against Toledo on Tuesday. Jarron Coleman and Demarius Jacobs both finished the game with over 20 points.
 
The Cardinals improved to 10-4 overall and 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference, while the Rockets fell to 9-5 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Head Coach Michael Lewis picked up his first MAC win.
 
"I'm just really proud of them," said Coach Lewis. "We had to score 90. There aren't many days you're going to outscore Toledo. Really proud of our effort. Guys had to make plays. Boogie (Jarron Coleman) showed that he was a veteran in the league and put us on his back for a stretch in the second half. The most exciting thing is, I still see a lot of growth. There were some things there, we gave up a 3 at the end. They can't catch you if you don't allow 3's. This is a team that's learning to win. They're having a bunch of fun. We're going to enjoy tonight, but tomorrow we have to turn our focus immediately to Akron."
 
Coleman recorded a game-high 26 points and added two assists. Jacobs produced a career-high 25 points. He added two assists and two rebounds. Jaylin Sellers produced his second double-double of the season behind a 15-point effort and a game-high 11 rebounds. Basheer Jihad brought down a career-high eight rebounds along with his eight points. Payton Sparks had a team-high three assists and chipped in with eight points.
 
After Toledo scored the game's opening points, Ball State responded with a 21-9 run that ended with 12 minutes left in the half. The Cardinals opened the game shooting 75.0 percent from 3-point range and 69.2 percent from the field.
 
The Rockets answered with a 9-3 run to cut the Cardinal lead to 24-18 with 8:53 left in the first stanza. Ball State responded by outscoring Toledo 13-8 over the next 3:29 to extend the BSU lead to 37-26.
 
Toledo ended the half on an 11-3 run, but Ball State took a 40-37 lead into the break.
 
The Cardinals started the second half strong and went on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 49-37 with 17:04 left in the game. Toledo came back and pulled within six, 59-53, with 11:03 on the clock, but Ball State stayed strong.
 
BSU was resilient and went on a 14-7 run and claimed a 73-60 lead with 7:53 left in regulation. The 13-point lead was the largest of the night. During the run, the Cardinals were perfect in all scoring categories; 5-for-5 form the field, 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.  
 
The Rockets came back with an 8-2 run and cut the deficit to 75-68. Toledo followed that run with an 8-3 run and pulled within two, 78-76.
 
The Cardinals were clutch from the free-throw line in the remaining 2:08. Ball State ended the game on a 12-7 run, where the team was a combined 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Ball State won the MAC opener 90-83. After Toledo took a 2-0 lead early in the game, Ball State never surrendered the lead the remainder of the contest.
 
As a squad, the Cardinals finished the game shooting 85.0 percent from the free-throw line, 50.0 percent from 3-point range, and 52.5 percent from the field. Ball State was stout on the glass, as the Cardinals outrebounded the Rockets 41-21. BSU held a 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass.  Ball State outscored and shutout Toledo in second-chance points, 14-0.
 
RayJ Dennis led the Rockets with 21 points and a game-high six assists to go along with his team-high two steals. Dante Maddox Jr. posted a team-high nine rebounds as he added 16 points. JT Shumate ended the game with 15 points. Ra'Heim Moss finished with 11 points.
 
The Cardinals return to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena on Friday, Jan. 6, for the MAC home opener. Ball State and Akron will battle on CBS Sports Network with tip coming at 8:30 p.m.
 
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474). 

Original source can be found here.