Recap: Eastern Mich vs. Ball State

Ypsilanti, MI (Sports Network) - Chris Bond sank a pair of free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining on the clock to lift the Ball State Cardinals to a 60-58 decision over the Eastern Michigan Eagles in a Mid-American Conference thriller at the Convocation Center.

Bond and Jauwan Scaife tallied 18 points each for Ball State (7-6, 1-0 MAC). Matt Kamieniecki pulled down seven rebounds while Jesse Berry dealt out six assists to help the Cardinals notch their second win in a row.

Derek Thompson paced Eastern Michigan (7-8, 0-1) with 16 points. J.R. Sims netted 12 points for the Eagles as they suffered their third consecutive loss and fell for the sixth time in their last seven outings.

The Cardinals came out of the gate firing as they connected on 63.6 percent of their field goal attempts including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half. Although EMU hit 54.6 percent of its shots from the floor, it went into the intermission trailing, 33-28, after it went just 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

Ball State continued to find success on the offensive end after the break as it went 10-of-19 from the field, but its 1-of-6 mark from distance allowed the hosts to hang around. The Eagles faced a 56-48 deficit with 4:26 left in regulation, but they rallied back and Jalen Ross knocked down two foul shots to tie it up at 58 with eight seconds left. Bond drew a foul on the final play and rose the occasion at the charity stripe to give the Cardinals a 1-0 start to their MAC season.

Despite the loss, EMU received a huge boost from its reserves as they outscored Ball State's bench, 28-2. The Cardinals attacked the basket on their way to the win and outscored the hosts, 34-20, in the paint.