INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? The Ball State men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2008-09 season Wednesday night as the Cardinals dropped a hard fought 64-55 contest to instate rival Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The game was the 100th meeting all-time between the Cardinals and the Bulldogs and it also marked the Cardinals' first road game of the season.
“We did a good job of battling back and narrowing the lead, but in the end we had too many turnovers tonight,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “We have to make some adjustments and get ready for Saturday's game against SIU-Edwardsville.”
Senior forward Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) and freshman forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) led the Cardinals as they both recorded double-doubles in the loss. The two become the first Cardinals' dup to record double-doubles in the same game since Robert Owns and Cameron Echols both accomplished the feat February 6, 2003.
Newell posted his 13th career double-dip as he scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. He connected on six-of-15 from the field and hit four-of-five from the free throw line in 36 minutes of play.
Jones recorded his second straight double-double in his second career collegiate game as he finished with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He connected on six-of-nine from the field and was a perfect two-of-two from the charity stripe. Jones is the first Cardinal to post back-to-back double-doubles since Newell recorded two straight last season against Buffalo and Toledo.
Ball State (1-1) came out of the gate quickly at Hinkle Fieldhouse as Jones opened the game with an early put back to give the Cardinals their first lead of the game. The Cardinals continued to hold the upper hand in the early going as they ran out to an 8-2 lead three minutes into the game. Newell capped the early spurt with a three-pointer in the corner.
Butler (2-0) responded to the early pressure and turned in a 13-2 run to take a 15-10 lead just 10 minutes into the game. The Cardinals answered with back-to-back baskets, including the first career basket for freshman forward Maurice Hubbard (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) to pull BSU back within one at 15-14.
The Bulldogs again had a run up their sleeves as they ran off a 13-2 spurt to take a 28-16 lead and force a Cardinals' timeout. Ball State showed its mettle and didn't back down as the Cardinals closed the half on a 13-3 run to go into halftime down just two at 31-29.
Newell highlighted the run with five points in the spurt, including an old-fashioned three-point play on a thunderous dunk. Senior guard Laron Frazier (Waukegan, Ill./Highland CC) added a big three-pointer off of a cross court pass from classmate Rob Giles (Detroit, Mich./Mott CC) and junior forward Eric Wormely (Joliet, Ill./Kishwaukee CC) scored on a put back as time expired to end the half.
Ball State connected on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the field in the first half, including 42.9 percent (three-of-seven) from three-point land. Newell led all scorers in the first half with 10 points, while also leading the team with six first half rebounds. Butler connected on 40 percent (12-of-30) from the field in the half and 28.6 percent (four-of-14) from long range. Garrett Butcher led the Bulldogs in scoring in the opening frame with nine points off of the bench, all from three-point land.
Butler came out of the break and ran off nine straight points to take a 40-29 lead six minutes into the half. The Cardinals opened the half missing their first six shots from the field before Jones scored in the paint to narrow the margin to 40-31. The Bulldogs hit a couple of three-pointers to extend the lead to 56-42 with just over seven minutes remaining.
Ball State made one final push as it ran off a 10-4 run to pull within eight points at 60-52. Frazier keyed the run with a pair of baskets while Newell ignited the spurt with another thunderous dunk on an offensive rebound. The Cardinals made a stop with just over a minute and a half to go but could not get a three-pointer to drop until senior Brandon Lampley (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) nailed one with 39 second left.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field and 33.3 percent (four-of-12) from three-point land. Ball State was held to just nine free throws in the game compared to 25 free throw attempts for Butler. The Bulldogs struggled from the charity stripe as they hit just 52 percent (13-of-25) from the line while BSU connected on 77.8 percent.
Frazier added 10 points and three assists in 35 minutes of play as he was four-of-seven from the field. Lampley chipped in eight points, including two three-pointers in 34 minutes of action.
Butler finished the game shooting 38.9 percent (21-of-54) from the field, including 35.6 percent (nine-of-26) from three-point land. Matt Howard led the Bulldogs with 15 points and six rebounds as he was the only Bulldog in double figures scoring. Gordon Hayward added nine points while Butcher finished with nine as well.
The Cardinals return home Saturday afternoon as they host SIU-Edwardsville at 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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