Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
5-14,1-6MAC
Ball State
6-13,2-5MAC
Chippewas Fall in Heartbreaker 68-67 to Ball State after Second Half Resurgence
1/20/2026 10:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Central Michigan rallies for 47 second half points; Logan McIntire nets 21, Tamario Adley 20 with a combined nine successful three-point attempts
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan Men's Basketball team fell to Ball State Tuesday night, 68-67 in McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas trailed by 13 at the half but rallied for 47 points in the final 20 minutes and almost completed a remarkable comeback.
The loss drops Central Michigan to 1-6 in the MAC and 5-14 overall, while Ball State improves to 2-5 in the MAC and 6-13 overall. Next up, Central Michigan plays at Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. ET. The Chippewas return home on Jan. 27 for a league contest against Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
Led by 17 points from Armoni Zeigler and Devon Barnes, and 15 from Davion Hill, Ball State took the lead with 12:11 to go in the first half and never trailed again. Central Michigan came out of the gate slow, only scoring 20 points in the first half, the least by the Chippewas in a half this season.
Ball State built its lead to 15-points with a 7:16 long scoring run in the first half, bringing the score to 33-18 with just over a minute to go in the half. Ball State held the lead for nearly 33 of 40 minutes.
Central Michigan was led by Logan McIntire with a career-high tying 21 points, Tamario Adley scored 20, and Kennan Garner notched his third straight double figure scoring game with 10. It was McIntire's second career 20-point game and Adley's third. Adley assisted on six Chippewa field goals and tied Garner for the team lead in rebounds with eight, a career high for Adley. Nathan Claebaut finished the day with seven points and seven rebounds.
The Chippewas' second-half bounce-back was led by well-timed 3-point shooting from McIntire and Adley. Adley went a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc in the second half, while McIntire, the team's 3-point leader, went 5-9 from three on the day, with two falling in the final two minutes, and his last to tie the game at 65-65 with a minute to go.
Two minutes into the second half, Central Michigan started chipping away at the Cardinals' 15-point lead, their largest of the game, with a fast break layup from Adley for his first two of 18 second-half points.
During the final 4:18, Central Michigan outscored Ball State 15-10, went 5-5 from the floor, and 3-3 from three-point range. Despite the Chippewas' comeback, Ball State regained it's lead on the possession after McIntire's game-tying three and didn't look back.
"In a close game like that, every play is a game-winning play," Central Michigan head coach Andy Bronkema said. "You can say, hey, we did what we asked them to do after halftime. Play harder, take care of the basketball and believe that the next shot's going in, stay on the glass and out rebound them. You can't play a first half like that, nine turnovers and a lack of focus on a couple shots. That's kind of the story of the game, another heartbreaker."
The Chippewas shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the floor, dished out 13 assists on 25 field goals, and outrebounded the Cardinals 34-32.
"Competing and winning are two different things," Bronkema said. "You have to learn how to do that, make those winning plays at the winning time, and we've done it. We've done it a couple times this year. I believe in this group that they can do it and we'll keep training that."
"These are heartbreakers and it's a real chance to show your character, your resolve and who we really are. That's our role right now."
Central Michigan started Phat Phat Brooks, Adley, and McIntire at guard, Garner at forward, and Claerbaut at center.
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