Walton leads Ball St. over UIC 68-66
MUNCIE, Ind. -- — K.J. Walton had 25 points as Ball St. narrowly defeated Illinois-Chicago 68-66 on Saturday.
Ishmael El-Amin added 22 points for the Cardinals (1-2). Walton made 9 of 10 free throws to surpass 20 points in every game this season. El-Amin also had six rebounds.
Two free throws by El-Amin had Ball State up 66-62 with 18 seconds left but Zion Griffin drained a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game 10 seconds late. El-Amin pushed it back to 68-65 sevens seconds to go and the Cardinals fouled Kirk Teyvion before he could attempt a tying 3 with three seconds left. Teyvion made the first free throw, missing the second and El-Amin corralled the ball as time ran out.
Brachen Hazen had 12 points and seven rebounds for Ball State.
Braelen Bridges had 13 points for the Flames (3-1). Michael Diggins added 13 points and Griffin had 12.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
Game Information
- Referees:
- Bryan Anslinger
- Alfred Smith
- John Floyd
2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | 10-2 | - | 20-2 |
| Bradley | 9-2 | 0.5 | 18-4 |
| Belmont | 7-4 | 2.5 | 15-7 |
| Northern Iowa | 7-4 | 2.5 | 13-9 |
| UIC | 7-5 | 3 | 14-8 |
| Illinois State | 6-6 | 4 | 14-9 |
| Evansville | 5-6 | 4.5 | 8-14 |
| Indiana State | 5-7 | 5 | 11-12 |
| Murray State | 5-7 | 5 | 11-12 |
| Southern Illinois | 5-7 | 5 | 10-13 |
| Valparaiso | 3-9 | 7 | 10-13 |
| Missouri State | 1-11 | 9 | 8-15 |
2024-25 Mid-American Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 9-0 | - | 16-5 |
| Miami (OH) | 8-1 | 1 | 16-5 |
| Toledo | 7-2 | 2 | 13-8 |
| Ohio | 5-4 | 4 | 11-10 |
| Kent State | 4-5 | 5 | 13-8 |
| Ball State | 4-5 | 5 | 10-11 |
| Central Michigan | 4-5 | 5 | 10-11 |
| Eastern Michigan | 4-5 | 5 | 10-11 |
| Western Michigan | 4-5 | 5 | 7-14 |
| Bowling Green | 2-7 | 7 | 7-14 |
| Buffalo | 2-7 | 7 | 7-14 |
| Northern Illinois | 1-8 | 8 | 5-16 |
Men's College Basketball News
