MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team put on the burners in the first half and early in the second, racing to a 25-point lead over Western Michigan before settling in for a 71-61 win Tuesday night in Worthen Arena.
The victory for the Cardinals (16-12, 9-6 MAC) coupled with a loss by Buffalo catapulted BSU into a fourth-place tie with the Bulls in the overall Mid-American Conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. The top four seeds earn a first-round bye in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Ball State scored 12 of the first 14 points against Western Michigan (11-17, 4-11 MAC) and never looked back.