Men’s Hoops Rolls to 85-64 Win at Saint Louis

Friday, November 11

Saint Louis, MO

7:00 PM CT (8:00 ET)

Ball State University

1-0

Saint Louis

0-1

Team	1	2	F
Ball State	43	42	85
Saint Louis	19	45	64

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

November 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball

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Franko House scores 23 points, Tayler Persons 21 for Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- Ball State coach James Whitford has spoken often this preseason about the work all-conference post player Franko House has done on his outside shot.

The senior's early-morning shooting sessions in an empty gym manifested Friday with a 4-for-4 shooting performance from beyond the arc in front of more than 7,000 fans at Saint Louis.

House was his usual effective self in the paint as well, matching his career high with 23 points to lead Ball State to an 85-64 season-opening victory over the Atlantic 10's Billikens.

"Really for the last year and a half, but especially this summer, Franko has invested an incredible amount of time working on his shot," Whitford said. "Tonight wasn't a magical game. It's really a culmination of an incredible amount of work over a long period of time that led to him having a shooting night like that."

With House capable of stretching the floor, a Ball State offense full of shooters becomes even scarier for opponents. The Cardinals (1-0) had seven different players make a 3 against Saint Louis (0-1) on the way to a 13-for-23 performance from beyond the arc as a team.

Point guard Tayler Persons, playing in his first regular season game for the Cardinals, went 3-for-4 from 3-point range and scored 21 points. Freshman forward Tahjai Teague gave Ball State a third double-figure scorer with 10 points and added eight rebounds.

ICYMI: Tahjai Teague scores off the glass. @Ryweb33 slams it home. @BallStateMBB is making it look easy.

LIVE: https://t.co/3ijabzna3e pic.twitter.com/RC4I1T0Hd5
— @bsusportslink (@bsusportslink) November 12, 2016

What stood out was the unselfishness and ball movement. Ball State registered 21 assists on 30 made baskets, with Sean Sellers dishing out six of them.

Whitford saw a lot of things he liked in the opener, and it wasn't just the dialed-in shooting.

"I thought we played a good, sound game," Whitford said. "We shot the ball really well, which helps. But we handled their pressure. We kept our defense intact. We gave up very little in transition, and I thought that stood out for us."

House and Persons scored the first 15 points of the game as Ball State came out of the gate to grab a 15-3 lead. The Cardinals made nine of their 3's in the first half while holding Saint Louis to 24 percent shooting on the way to building a 43-19 halftime lead.

Ball State maintained its advantage throughout the second half, with the lead fluctuating between 20 and 27 points over the final 20 minutes.

Davell Roby led Saint Louis with 14 points, while Reggie Agbeko scored all 12 of his points in the second half and added 10 rebounds.

Friday's game was the first of four Ball State will play as part of the MGM Grand Main Event, a deal that also includes a trip to Alabama (Nov. 18) and two games in Las Vegas (Nov. 21 and 23).

The Cardinals will take a break from the event next week, returning to Muncie for their home opener Tuesday against rival Indiana State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.