Cardinals’ Winning Streak Cut Short as RedHawks Soar to Victory

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball squad achieved 20 points and 16 rebounds from Payton Sparks, yet couldn’t surpass an effective Miami (OH) offense in an 80-72 victory for the RedHawks on Tuesday night at Worthen Arena.

The Cardinals (7-7, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) initiated a 7-0 run early in the second half after falling behind 38-33 at halftime to close the gap to one point at 41-40, but the visitors then scored the following six points to secure a 47-40 lead with 16 minutes remaining.

Ball State’s Jermahri Hill completed a layup at the 6:32 mark of the second half, reducing Miami’s lead to 57-55; however, Kam Craft contributed four of his game-high 28 points in the subsequent minute, and the RedHawks maintained a lead of at least four points for the rest of the contest.

Sparks equaled his career-best in rebounds for the second time in three games and also recorded two assists while shooting 8-for-9 from the field. Hill matched him with a team-leading 20 points along with three assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. (12 points) and Jeremiah Hernandez (11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals) were the other players in double-digit scoring for Ball State, which suffered the end of its four-game winning streak with this loss.

Craft spearheaded a Miami offensive effort that shot 55.4 percent (31-56) overall, 30 percent (6-20) from beyond the arc, and 75 percent (12-16) at the free-throw line. Ball State managed 43.4 percent (23-53) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-21) from long range, and 70 percent (21-30) from the foul line.

The hosts secured an advantage in rebounds over Miami at 37-26 and held a 12-2 lead in second-chance points, but the visitors tallied six fewer turnovers (13-7) to achieve a 15-6 edge in points from turnovers. Ball State held a significant 38-14 margin in bench points, led by Sparks and Pearson.

The Cardinals will remain at home to face Bowling Green at 2 p.m. on Saturday.