Kent State University
Ball State
Flashes Win Thriller in Muncie
1/4/2022 11:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Kent State men's basketball team (7-6, 2-1 MAC) won a thriller in Muncie Tuesday night over Ball State (6-7, 1-1 MAC) after Justyn Hamilton tipped in the game-winning layup with less than 10 seconds to play.
The Flashes picked up their second-straight Mid-American Conference win, 66-65, in a hard-fought game. Sincere Carry led the Flashes with a season-high 26 points on 10-for-19 from the field. Carry also added seven rebounds and seven assists to go along with three steals. He did it all without committing a single turnover.
The Golden Flashes and Cardinals battled back-and-forth all night with the largest lead of the game being a four-point Ball State lead late in the first half. The game featured 16 lead changes, and the game was tied 14 times.
The Flashes only led for a total of five minutes, but they made those minutes count down the stretch. They led just three times in the second half prior to the Hamilton game-winner. One of those was on a Carry layup with 33 seconds left that put the Flashes up 64-62. Tyler Cochran – Ball State's leading scorer – answered with an and-one layup and free throw to put the Cardinals in front by one with just 24 seconds on the clock.
With one shot at the win, the ball was in Carry's hands. He drove and drew two defenders, but the layup glided off the rim. Hamilton got the tip to go and the Flashes thwarted the Cardinals' final attempt to pull out the victory.
Along with Carry, Hamilton and Malique Jacobs each scored in double figures. Hamilton finished with a team-high eight rebounds. The Flashes dominated the paint, outscoring Ball State 38-20. The Flashes shot just 16.7 percent from three but made enough plays in the end to win the game.
Carry recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season and his seventh game with at least five assists. In addition to the offensive numbers, Carry held one of the best scorers in the MAC, Luke Bumbalough to just three points on 1-for-9 from the field including 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Follow the Flashes
Home tickets for the 2021-22 season are on sale now. For questions regarding ticket information, email athletictickets@kent.edu or call 330-672-4455.
The Flashes will conclude their two-game road stretch at Ohio on Friday, Jan. 7, at 6:30 p.m., on CBS Sports. Kent State will then return to the M.A.C. Center for back-to-back games against Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 11, and against rival Akron on Friday, Jan. 14.
For more information on the men's basketball team, follow Kent State Men's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional updates.
