Buffalo Bulls @ Ball State Cardinals
Ball State defeats Buffalo 80-66
MUNCIE, Ind. -- — Payton Sparks scored 18 points to help Ball State defeat Buffalo 80-66 on Saturday.
Sparks added eight rebounds for the Cardinals (14-13, 7-7 Mid-American Conference). Mickey Pearson Jr. scored 14 points and added seven rebounds. Ben Hendriks shot 6 of 8 from the field to finish with 14 points.
The Bulls (8-19, 3-11) were led by Kavon Bradford, who recorded 18 points. Buffalo also got 14 points from Ryan Sabol. Tyson Dunn also had 10 points, seven assists and two steals.
Ball State took the lead with 15:27 left in the first half and never looked back. Hendriks led his team in scoring with eight points in the first half to help put them up 41-36 at the break. Ball State outscored Buffalo in the second half by nine points, with Sparks scoring a team-high 12 points in the final half.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Game Information
Muncie, IN
Referee:Bill Ek
Referee:Steve McJunkins
Referee:Crystal Hogan
2025-26 Standings
| Mid-American ConferenceMid-American Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | 5-0 | - | 17-0 |
| Buffalo | 3-0 | 1 | 13-2 |
| Kent State | 3-0 | 1 | 12-3 |
| Akron | 3-1 | 1.5 | 12-4 |
| Ohio | 3-1 | 1.5 | 9-7 |
| Toledo | 3-1 | 1.5 | 9-7 |
| Eastern Michigan | 2-2 | 2.5 | 8-8 |
| Bowling Green | 2-3 | 3 | 11-6 |
| Northern Illinois | 1-3 | 3.5 | 5-10 |
| Western Michigan | 0-3 | 4 | 6-9 |
| Ball State | 0-3 | 4 | 4-11 |
| Massachusetts | 0-4 | 4.5 | 9-7 |
| Central Michigan | 0-4 | 4.5 | 4-12 |
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