FARMVILLE, Va. -- Ball State sharpshooter Sean Sellers sparked a three-point barrage in the second half that opened a game-changing run and pushed Ball State to a 61-45 win over Longwood in a defensive battle Wednesday evening in Worthen Arena.
 
After Ball State (7-4) and Longwood (3-7) exchanged blows throughout a low-scoring first half, Sellers and Ryan Webber teamed up to knock down four consecutive three-pointers to start a 10-minute, 27-6 run that turned Ball State's four-point halftime lead into double-digit advantage. The Cardinals went on to hit 10-of-13 field goals and five treys during that stretch with Sellers scoring all nine of his points during the run.
 
The deadeye Sellers, who ranks second in the Mid-American Conference with a .484 three-point percentage, finished with nine points as one of six Ball State players with at least eight points on the night.
 
"They have a lot a lot of good, healthy bodies, and they make good decisions," said Longwood head coach Jayson Gee. "What makes them so difficult is the weapons they have from the three-point line, and even though they weren't making shots, we gave up some easy baskets because we were spread out and worried about their shooters. I think you saw in that first five minutes of the second half what they were capable of."
 
The MAC's most efficient shooting team from the field and three-point range this season, Ball State opened the game shooting just .286 (10-of-35) from the field and 0-of-10 from three-point range against Longwood's high-pressure defense. Sellers helped right the ship shortly after halftime however, igniting an offense that shot .483 (14-of-29) and hit seven treys in the second half.
 
Reserve guard Francis Kiapway led Ball State with a team-high 10 points as the lone Cardinal in double figures, doing so as part of a bench that contributed 26 points. Ball Stat's leading scorer Tayler Persons added eight points, as did point guard Franko House and bench players Tahjai Teague and Jeremie Tyler.
 
That balanced effort came as Longwood put forth one of its best defensive efforts of the season, limiting the offensive-minded Cardinals to season lows in field goal percentage and three-point percentage as well as their second fewest points this season. Behind four blocks from freshman JaShaun Smith, 10 rebounds from Khris Lane and a career-high seven boards in eight minutes from 6-10, 245-pound junior Obi Romeo, Longwood matched Ball State in rebounds and surrendered just two second-chance points.
 
"I was really impressed with our defensive effort," Gee said. "To hold a team that's as capable of scoring as Ball State to 29 percent from the three, that's terrific for our case. But we just hit a wall. Those first five minutes of the second half really killed us."
 
Despite the defensive stronghold, however, the short-handed Lancers were unable to capitalize on the offensive end. Playing with just eight scholarship players due to multiple key absences, the Lancers hit just two of their seven three-point attempts and committed 23 turnovers. Ball State converted those turnovers into 20 points.
 
"I thought our nemesis tonight was we didn't shoot the ball really well and our turnovers," Gee said. "We turned the ball over way too much. Twenty-three turnovers for a team, it's difficult to be successful when you have that many."
 
Smith turned in his fourth double-figure scoring game of the season with 11 points and a career-high four blocks, while the backcourt duo of Darrion Allen and Isaiah Walton scored 10 points apiece.
 
The loss comes in the first game of a two-game road trip for Longwood, which has just one day to prepare for Big 12 behemoth Texas Tech (10-1) Wednesday at 5 p.m. EST. That game will air live on Fox Sports Southwest and is also available in Farmville and online on WVHL 92.9 FM.
 
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