MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Teyvion Kirk scored 19 points with nine rebounds and Ohio used a big first half to beat Ball State 70-52 on Saturday for its first Mid-American Conference win this season.
Jason Carter added 13 points with nine boards and Doug Taylor scored 11. Jason Preston dished out eight assists.
Tayler Persons scored 16 points and K.J. Walton and Zach Gunn had 10 each with Trey Moses pulling down 13 rebounds.
Kirk scored 11 points in the first half when the Bobcats (9-6, 1-2) took a 39-18 lead after the Cardinals (10-6, 1-2) shot just 27 percent, Ball State’s lowest first-half total this season. Carter scored the game’s first five points and Kirk followed with the next five for a 10-0 lead. The Cardinals didn’t get their first points until Persons’ jumper at 13:26.
Ohio made 8 of 17 3-point attempts but Ball State was just 1 of 12.
Ohio U. box
OHIO 70, BALL ST. 52
OHIO (9-6)
Carter 5-12 1-2 13, Taylor 5-6 1-3 11, Cowart 2-7 0-0 6, Kirk 6-18 7-12 19, Block 2-4 1-2 6, Reeves 0-0 0-0 0, Vander Plas 3-7 0-0 8, Preston 0-2 0-0 0, Murrell 0-1 0-0 0, Gollon 2-3 2-2 7, James 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 12-21 70.
BALL ST. (10-6)
Teague 2-6 1-2 5, Mallers 0-8 3-4 3, Moses 1-3 0-0 2, Walton 3-5 4-7 10, Persons 7-17 2-3 16, Gunn 3-6 3-4 10, Huggins 0-0 0-0 0, Nehls 1-1 2-3 4, Thompson 0-2 2-4 2. Totals 17-48 17-27 52.
Halftime—Ohio 39-18. 3-Point Goals—Ohio 8-17 (Carter 2-3, Vander Plas 2-4, Cowart 2-5, Gollon 1-2, Block 1-3), Ball St. 1-12 (Gunn 1-4, Thompson 0-1, Persons 0-2, Mallers 0-5). Fouled Out—Taylor. Rebounds—Ohio 37 (Carter, Kirk 9), Ball St. 34 (Moses 13). Assists—Ohio 13 (Preston 8), Ball St. 5 (Persons 2). Total Fouls—Ohio 21, Ball St. 17. A—40,476 (11,500).