MUNCIE, Ind. – The Mavericks trailed by as much as 29 in the first half vs. the Cardinals, but Omaha battled back in the second half to get within one point on a
Frankie Fidler layup with less than four to play. Ball State used six late free throws to stay alive and take a 73-69 win over Omaha.
The Mavericks fall to 1-1 overall.
Leaders for Omaha
For his second straight game, Fidler notched double-figures for a team-leading 13 points. He finished 5-of-9 from the field with two from long range. Fidler also tallied a team-high three assists.
Kyle Luedtke added another 10 points for his second straight double-digit scoring effort. He added a team-leading six boards.
Sam'i Roe scored nine, while
Felix Lemetti,
Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, and
Marco Smith added eight. Poor Bear-Chandler notched another two-blocks for Omaha.
Leaders for Ball State
Jalen Windham led all-scorers with 14 points. All four of his field goals were from beyond the arc. Luke Bumbalough added eight points and a game-high eight assists. Tyler Cochran led the Cardinals with six boards.
Team Stats
Omaha finished the game shooting 42.4 percent from the field compared to Ball State's 41.8 percent. The Mavericks converted 18-of-36 in the second half. The Cardinals led from long range shooting over 45 percent to Omaha's 27.
The Mavericks led in the paint, 30-25, and second chance points, 11-9. Both benches came alive for 29 points each.
Inside the First Half
The Cardinals used a 7-0 run to open the game and pull away from the Mavericks early in the first half. Smith notched the first Omaha points almost five minutes into the action with a jumper just inside the arc. Ball State used a 10-0 run midway through to widen the gap before
Darrius Hughes broke up the scoring with a layup off an offensive board.
Ball State responded with three straight three-pointers for a 36-10 edge at the 6:63 mark.
Akol Arop provided an Omaha spark off the bench. He recorded his first points as a Maverick on a layup with just over four minutes left in the half. Less than two minutes later Arop slammed one down on a backdoor cut to spark an 8-3 run to close the first. Ball State led 44-21 at the break.
Inside the Second Half
Omaha's offense came alive in the second half as the Mavericks attempted to overcome the 23-point deficit. A three-pointer from Luedtke at the 7:30 mark sparked a 12-0 Omaha run to get the Mavericks within seven of the Cardinals. Lemetti capped the run with back-to-back threes forcing a timeout. Fidler and
Dylan Brougham led the Mavericks for another seven straight points out of the timeout. Fidler picked off a pass on the wing for a fast break layup getting Omaha within one of Ball State, 65-64.
The Cardinals hit four late from the foul line to make it a two-possession game with 1:40 left to play. Smith's layup with 40-seconds left narrowed the lead back to two. Omaha had the ball with 12 seconds left to play to tie or win the game, but the Mavericks couldn't convert on a Lemetti layup. Ball State knocked down another two from the line to win, 73-69.
Noting Tonight's Game
-Fidler and Luedtke notched double-figures for the second straight game to lead the Mavericks. Fidler led Omaha with 13 points, while Luedtke matched his season-high 10 points.
-Poor Bear-Chandler led the Mavericks with another two blocks.
-Chandler and Luedkte tallied six boards each. It falls short of a career-high for both players by just one board.
-Had the Mavericks pulled off the win, it would have been the largest deficit they've overcome in the Division I era. The Mavericks largest was 22 in an 85-78 win at IUPUI on Feb. 9, 2013.
Up Next
Omaha heads to Kansas State for a mid-week meeting next week. The Mavericks and Wildcats will tipoff on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Gary Sharp will have the call on KOZN 1620.
