TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State used a furious late game rally against visiting Ball State but could not get over the final hump as the Sycamores fell 93-85 to the Cardinals in front of 3,274 fans inside Hulman Center.

The Sycamores fell to 2-4 on the season while Ball State improved to 2-4. Indiana State was looking to make it three in a row over the Cardinals in the overall series.

Graduate Qiydar Davis tallied a career-high 18 points as he hit 6-of-12 shots from the field, including one 3-point attempt and was 5-of-7 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jordan Barnes posted 15 points with a career-high nine assists and seven rebounds as he hit a trio of 3-pointers. Brenton Scott and Tyreke Key each had 12 points in the game while Bronson Kessinger tallied a career-best 10 points off the bench as he hit 5-of-6 shots from the field. Emondre Rickman had six rebounds for the Sycamores.

The Cardinals held a 36-26 edge in rebounding but the Sycamores forced 21 Ball State turnovers in the contest while committing 11 themselves. The result was a 29-8 edge in points off turnovers as ISU held a 36-24 edge in the paint.

Ball State's Tayler Persons hit a 3-pointer with 5:32 remaining in the game to stake the Cardinals to their largest lead of the game at 78-59. Barnes countered with a 3-pointer of his own and then after a defensive stop, Barnes hit another jumper and then Davis tallied two free throws to draw within 78-66 with 4:35 to go. A 3-pointer from Scott with 3:35 to go drew the Sycamores within 11, but Persons hit a jumper int he paint to reestablish a 13-point advantage.

ISU then went on an 8-0 run started by a Kessinger bucket at the rim and following a BSU turnover Davis scored at short range to get the deficit down to single digits. Another turnover by Ball State led to a Barnes trifecta with 1:31 remaining to get the Sycamores within striking distance at 84-78. BSU turned the ball over for the third straight trip down the floor and Davis 1-of-2 from the charity stripe as ISU trailed by only five points -- 84-79 at the 1:19 mark. BSU went back up eight points before Davis buried a 3-pointer with 44 seconds ont he clock to make it 87-82 but that would be as a close as Indiana State could get it as they fell 93-85.

The Cardinals raced out to a 9-0 lead before Scott's jumper with 16:36 to go in the first half cut the BSU lead down to 9-2. The Ball State first half lead would spike at 12 points -- 25-13 on a 3-pointer from Jontrell Walker at the 9:50 mark before Demonte Ojinnaka answered with a trey of his own 10 seconds later to get within nine. A 3-pointer from Devin Thomas at the 1:15 mark got ISU within 38-33 and a dunk from Murphy with 30 seconds before the break got ISU within 39-35. Persons drove to the basket for a lay-up with seven seconds to go to send the Cardinals into the half with a 41-35 lead. Ojinnaka, Scott and Davis each had six points to lead the Sycamores at the half. Ball State hit 56 percent of their shots from the field in the first 20 minutes, including a 7-of-14 mark from 3-point range.

Davis converted a lay-up with 18:49 remaining in the second half to get ISU within four points, but Ball State went on a 12-1 run over the next three minutes to claim a 53-38 advantage. Tyreke Key posted a lay-up to stop the spurt and the Sycamores scored eight in a row themselves after a BSU field goal, called by a Davis lay-up with 12:31 remaining to draw within 55-48.

Key recorded a conventional 3-point play with 8:42 to go within got ISU within six points at 61-55 but the Cardinals would score 17 of the next 21 points to take their 78-59 lead with 5:32 to go.

Five Cardinals reached double figures scoring, led by 18 from Tayler Persons.

Indiana State concludes its current three-game homestand on Wednesday, November 29 at 7 pm (ET) inside Hulman Center. That game is part of the annual Missouri Valley/Mountain West Conference Challenge series which saw the Sycamores take a thrilling 62-61 win at Utah State last season.