Payton Sparks leads Ball State starting-5 to memorable 91-90 win over Eastern Michigan

MUNCIE, Ind. — That was truly a Friday night to remember.

In front of Worthen Arena's second-largest crowd (6,068) since 2009 and a national TV audience, Ball State men's basketball won its most exciting game of the season, a 91-90 overtime thriller over Eastern Michigan.

The triumph improved BSU to 16-7 and 7-3 in the Mid-American Conference, its best start since the 1999-2000 season, which marked the program's most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.

It was a battle between team and individual greatness, with all five Cardinals starters scoring 13 or more points while Eagles star sophomore Emoni Bates exploded for 35. BSU's early 23-13 lead evaporated midway through the first half, setting up a continuous back-and-forth affair that featured no shortage of highlights, emotion and atmosphere.

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While Bates shined with 25 second-half points, including nine straight to start the extra period, it was sophomore center Payton Sparks who countered the former 5-star high school recruit's barrage. BSU's big man was nearly unstoppable in the paint, notching 22 points (9-of-13 shooting), 15 rebounds (season high), four assists and three blocks for his sixth double-double of the year.

The Winchester, Indiana, native had just six points and two rebounds at halftime, but all three of those buckets came on strong drop-step post moves. It was clear that he and the coaching staff knew no player on EMU's relatively undersized roster could contend with Spark's strength, so the team emphasized utilizing that advantage coming out of the locker room.

That winning formula was tried and true come the final minute of overtime, when Sparks spun in the post for the go-ahead layup, 88-87. To conclude his stellar outing, he then had the game-saving block and hit a free throw to make it a two-possession game with two seconds left, effectively clinching the win despite having missed six consecutive free throws beforehand.

Once Sparks got going, everything opened up for Ball State's offense. Guard Jaylin Sellers (17 points, 7-of-11) joined his fellow sophomore for the ride as the pair scored the Cardinals' first 17 points of the second half, quickly erasing the team's 40-37 halftime deficit.

Redshirt sophomore Mickey Pearson found holes in the Eagles' defense as well, going from zero points on just one shot attempt in the first half to finishing with 13 points and multiple clutch buckets and free throws in overtime.

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The starting lineup overall, for the majority of the contest, filled their respective offensive roles well. Everyone provided pivotal contributions in the victory, beginning with redshirt junior Jarron Coleman, who set the game's tone and eventually finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Attacking from tip off was a point of emphasis for BSU after being doomed by early deficits at Kent State and against Buffalo, and Coleman's three consecutive triples in the game's first two minutes gave the Cardinals their third straight strong start since the lull.

Sellers and Sparks followed suit, and Coleman hit his fourth 3-pointer of the first half at the 13:11 mark to give his team a 23-13 lead. Ball State was cruising, hitting everything and taking care of the ball, only to lose its discipline and commit 10 turnovers over the next nine minutes to give EMU a 29-28 advantage.

It was the only time when BSU reverted to its poor tendency of dribble-heavy isolation offense, spearheaded by Coleman but embodied by everyone as the highly talented Eagles, who are more dangerous than their 6-17 record indicates, enjoyed a 15-5 run.

But out of a timeout, senior guard Demarius Jacobs scored seven straight points to kickstart the eventual seesaw competition. The Cardinals then refocused to play clean basketball, tallying just three turnovers before the final buzzer.

Their focus on physicality also shifted the game's trajectory. Entering the evening as the nation's fourth-best squad at getting to the free throw line (24.9 attempts per game), Ball State had just three free throws in the first half. But Sparks and company's determination to attack the basket led to 24 freebie attempts on the night, making 15, and winning the paint scoring and rebounding battles 46-28 and 38-32, respectively.

The only problem BSU never solved was guarding Bates and EMU's perimeter players. Head coach Michael Lewis wasn't pleased with his group inability to keep Bates from going to his right hand, and he and sophomore guards Noah Farrakhan and Tyson Acuff combined to score 69 points.

Yet all three made difficult, contested shots throughout, and there was only so much Sellers could do in crunchtime while playing with four fouls, one of which came from a double-technical resulting from an argument with an opposing player.

It was a game that, with the way Bates was rolling, could've easily gotten was from Ball State, yet the Cardinals once again proved their resilience by overcoming a truly heroic performance by the MAC's most talented player.

BSU hits the road again to play Central Michigan (8-14, 3-6 MAC) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State men's basketball: 91-90 win Eastern Michigan Emoni Bates