Recap: Ball State vs. Eastern Mich

Muncie, IN (Sports Network) - Glenn Bryant netted a career-high 20 points, and the Eastern Michigan Eagles defeated the Ball State Cardinals, 56-50, in a Mid-American Conference bout at Worthen Arena.

J.R. Smith also posted a career-high with 18 points, as he shot 7-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the perimeter to help the Eagles (12-13, 5-6 MAC) notch their first road win in 11 tries this season.

Jauwan Scaife led all scorers with 21 points for the Cardinals (10-14, 4-8), who saw their modest two-game win streak come to a halt. Majok Majok pulled down 16 rebounds to go along with his six points.

Ball State grabbed a nine-point lead -- its largest of the game -- on Marcus Posley's 3-pointer at the 12:22 mark of the opening frame. However, EMU answered with a 10-3 spurt, and the first half eventually ended in a 24-24 tie.

The Eagles steadily seized control in the second half thanks to a 63-percent shooting effort from the floor (12-of-19), as they led by as many as 13 with just under three minutes to play. The Cardinals made only 6-of-20 field goals in the second half, although four of those buckets came in the final three minutes as they rallied to make it a 51-48 game on Scaife's jumper with 23 seconds remaining. However, Scaife turned the ball over the next time down the court, and Bryant capitalized with a layup at the other end to stave off the threat.

Ball State won the first meeting against EMU on Jan. 9, but the Cardinals made only 5-of-27 3-pointers in the rematch and could not overcome the Eagles' hot shooting down the stretch.