MUNCIE, Ind. - The University of Tennessee at Martin traded blows with the Ball State University Cardinals for the game's first 20 minutes tonight, but Ball State shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half and ultimately came away with a 68-52 win at Worthen Arena.

Marquis Weddle led the Skyhawks with 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench, while Reuben Clayton and Benzor Simmons each broke into double-figures in the scoring column with 11 and 10 points, respectively. For the game, UT Martin converted 35 percent (23-for-66) of its field goal attempts.

Terrence Watson and Malik Perry each poured in 15 points to pace the Cardinals. Jarrod Jones scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for Ball State, while Randy Davis (10 points) also paced the Cardinals.

A lay-up by Terrance Coleman began the scoring for UT Martin and tied the game at 2-2 with 18:11 left in the first half. After two Ball State free throws, Simmons gave the Skyhawks its first lead with a three-pointer at the 16:44 mark. The Skyhawks held on to that lead until a jumper by Perry put Ball State ahead 8-7.

Simmons answered with a jumper just 16 seconds later to put UT Martin back on top, but Brawley Chisholm responded with a lay-up on the other end to give the edge back to the Cardinals. The lead changed hands once again two minutes later when Ron Spencer converted a lay-up to put the Skyhawks up 11-10.

Ball State came back with a 10-2 run over a span of 6:09 to take a seven-point lead before a three-point play by Weddle cut the Skyhawk deficit to four. That began a stretch where Weddle would score nine straight UT Martin points, but the Skyhawks couldn't slice the Ball State lead to any less than four the rest of the first half.

Weddle's nine points led all scorers at the break, while Watson tallied eight points in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Cardinals scored five of the first seven points to begin the second half, once again extending its lead to seven before a Clayton jumper with 17:19 to go. Ball State scored six of the game's next eight points to push its lead out to nine, then a three-point play by Perry with 13:40 remaining gave the Cardinals its first double-digit lead at 40-30.

Perry's hoop-and-foul ignited an 8-0 run for Ball State, who stretched the margin out to 15 before Clayton made a lay-up with 10:52 left to play. UT Martin would put together a 7-2 run over 2:01 to get back within single digits at 49-41. Back-to-back lay-ups by Ball State put them back on top by 12 until Clayton buried a trey at the 5:52 mark to get the Skyhawks back to within nine.

The Cardinals led 56-44 before baskets by Clayton and Zach Jones pulled UT Martin back into striking distance at eight points. However, that would be the last time the Skyhawks would get within single digits, as Ball State ended the game on a 6-0 run for the 68-52 final score.

UT Martin closes out the season on the road next weekend when they will take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Thursday, Feb. 25 and the Morehead State Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 27.

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