ATHENS, Ohio – The Ball State men's basketball team got a big first half and game-high in scoring from , but couldn't keep up with Ohio in an 86-71 setback on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.
Pearson scored the first five points of the game on a 3-pointer and layup to put the Cardinals (8-8, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) ahead 5-0 only a minute into the game. The forward finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Ohio (10-6, 4-0 MAC) responded to Ball State's early burst with a 10-0 rally of its own before taking a 45-35 edge into the halftime break.