MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Cardinals led 34-33 over the Chippewas at intermission but it wasn't enough to sustain in the second half against the MAC West Division leader.
Ball State (7-14, 2-7 MAC) couldn't contain Central Michigan's (16-5, 7-2 MAC) All-MAC duo in Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost in the second half, falling 81-63.
Central Michigan came out strong in the opening minutes of the contest, as was expected from the division leader, but Ball State decided to throw some punches of its own at the 4:17 mark. The Cardinals had enough of being the underdog and started to come back in a big way, outscoring the Chippewas 16-5 the remainder of the first quarter.