Ball State rallied from 23 points down with 17:40 remaining to defeat Central Michigan 65-58 on Saturday and stay atop the Mid-American Conference West Division.
Jesse Berry led the Cardinals (17-11, 9-5) with 17 points, and Randy Davis added 13.
Ball State trailed 34-19 at halftime and dug a deeper hole when the Chippewas (9-19, 6-8) opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 42-19 lead. Ball State then found its shooting touch and scored 12 straight points to pull within 42-31. The Cardinals took their first lead at 50-49 with 4:34 left after a 10-0 run. A 3-pointer and a layup by Davis gave Ball State a 58-53 advantage with 2:36 left. Davis' 3-pointer with 1:20 remaining iced it for the Cardinals, who made 16 of 21 shots (76.1 percent) in the second half, outscoring the Chippewas 46-24.
Trey Zeigler and Derek Jackson led Central Michigan with 16 points each.
With two conference games left, Ball State pulled a half-game ahead of Western Michigan (16-11, 8-5) for first place in the MAC West. Western Michigan plays Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
Ball State travels to play Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Wednesday.
