Western Michigan Broncos at Ball State Cardinals
· MAC MEN'S TOURNAMENT PRES. BY VISITMYRTLEBEACH.COM - QUARTERFINAL
63 - 66
Ball State advances to face top seed Akron in MAC tourney
Moses had 11 points and 14 rebounds, Franko House added 14 and nine and Ryan Weber scored 10 points for the Cardinals (21-11), who will take on top-seeded Akron in a Friday semifinal.
Cardinals point guard Tayler Persons was injured midway through the first half, taking a knee to the head from teammate Jeremie Tyler as they were diving for a loose ball. Persons was bleeding as he was helped off the court. Ball State coach James Whitford said after the game that Persons was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks, got several stitches and was in the concussion protocol.
"They did the right thing, they've got him getting looked at right now, and making sure everything's fine," Whitford said. "And if everything is fine, he will be suiting up and playing tomorrow. The cut is not a big deal. It's a bunch of stitches, but he's had plenty of stitches. I don't think that's an issue. I think it's just a matter of getting through the concussion protocol that we're concerned about."
Thomas Wilder scored 24 points for the Broncos (16-16), including a 3-pointer with a 1:14 left that tied the game at 63 but missed three shots in the final 45 seconds while three Cardinals made three free throws in three trips to the line in the final minute. Brandon Johnson added 13 points for Western Michigan, which had a nine-game winning streak snapped.
Kiapway scored 10 points in the first half when Ball State took a 38-33 lead. There were six lead changes and three ties in the second half between the MAC West regular-season co-champions.
The teams split their regular-season games.
How can I watch Western Michigan vs. Ball State?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 63 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Tucker Haymond Defensive Rebound. | 63 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Jeremie Tyler missed Free Throw. | 63 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Jeremie Tyler made Free Throw. | 63 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Foul on Tucker Haymond. | 63 - 65 |
Statistics
 WMU |
 BALL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 24-63 | FG | 22-55 |
| 38 | Field Goal % | 40 |
| 8-20 | 3PT | 8-26 |
| 40 | Three Point % | 31 |
| 7-14 | FT | 14-23 |
| 50 | Free Throw % | 61 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 8 | Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| 34 | Defensive Rebounds | 35 |
| 11 | Assists | 15 |
| 2 | Steals | 5 |
| 1 | Blocks | 3 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 7 | Points Off Turnovers | 8 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 22 | Fouls | 15 |
| 8 | Largest Lead | 9 |
Game Information
Location: Cleveland, OH
Attendance: 2,245 | Capacity:
2025-26 Mid-American Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 18-0 | - | 32-2 |
| Akron | 17-1 | 1 | 29-6 |
| Kent State | 14-4 | 4 | 24-10 |
| Toledo | 11-7 | 7 | 19-15 |
| Bowling Green | 9-9 | 9 | 18-14 |
| Ohio | 9-9 | 9 | 15-17 |
| Buffalo | 7-11 | 11 | 17-15 |
| Massachusetts | 7-11 | 11 | 17-16 |
| Ball State | 7-11 | 11 | 12-19 |
| Central Michigan | 6-12 | 12 | 10-21 |
| Western Michigan | 4-14 | 14 | 10-21 |
| Eastern Michigan | 4-14 | 14 | 10-21 |
| Northern Illinois | 4-14 | 10 | 9-21 |