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Turner Battle

Turner Battle (Kernersville, NC/East Forsyth) paced the Bulls with 20 points - marking the second straight game that the junior point guard has scored at least 20 points. Mario Jordan (Cleveland, OH/Benedictine) added 15 points and was one of three UB players to collect nine rebounds.

Buffalo (8-9/4-5 MAC) was able to establish inside position early on, leading to easy buckets. After trading baskets, Ball State (8-9, 5-4 MAC) made the first move by scoring 10 unanswered points and taking a 28-17 lead with 8:01 left in the first stanza. The Bulls calmed the storm and were able to cut the lead to three points with 1:12 left in the half. However, the Cardinals closed the half with a 5-0 run, including a three-pointer by Peyton Stovall with under a second to play, to give Ball State a 40-32 halftime lead.

Ball State extended its lead to 44-34 with 17:50 left. However, Buffalo outscored the Cardinals, 39-11, over the next 12 minutes to take an 18-point lead. The three-point shot was the Bulls' weapon of choice during the comeback as they shot 8-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half. Jason Bird (Ypsilanti, MI/Ypsilanti) drained three straight treys and added a fourth moments later to spark the Bulls. His shooting performance reminded the Ball State faithful of another Bird that once played in Indiana. The Cardinals were able to cut the lead to six points with 45 seconds remaining. However, a layup by Daniel Gilbert (Detroit, MI/Cass Technical) put the Bulls back up eight and sealed the victory for UB.

Jason Bird

Buffalo eclipsed the 80-point plateau for the third straight game. Yassin Idbihi (Tangier, Morocco/Schloss Hagerhof) scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Bird and Calvin Cage (Capital Heights, MD/Bladensburg) added 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Bulls grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds, including a career-high seven by Roderick Middleton (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic). Battle and Mark Bortz (Commerce Township, MI/Walled Lake Central) had nine rebounds apiece.

Buffalo was able to hold the Cardinals' top player Cameron Echols to only four points and two rebounds. Robert Owens led Ball State with 14 points. It was the first conference loss of the season at home for Ball State.

"I thought it was a hard-fought game," head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "Ball State is a terrific program and for us to come in here and win is a good feeling."