Ball State University
4-2
IPFW
3-3
Newell?s Buzzer Beater Sends Men?s Hoops To Victory
December 02, 2008 | Men's Basketball
“We have a lot of confidence in our senior leadership and we wanted to give Newell an opportunity to create something,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “We had so many people step up and contribute tonight as our guards played great. Our team showed a lot of resiliency on the road as our team continues to grow as the season progresses.”
The Cardinals took a 52-50 lead with 1:08 remaining in the game as Newell hit a free throw to put BSU ahead by two. IPFW sophomore guard Ben Botts came down and nailed a jumper to tie the game with 58 seconds. After Newell had a shot blocked on the ensuing possession, the Cardinals' defense stepped up huge with a stop with 23 seconds left in the game.
After a
“I wasn't going to let that opportunity (last shot) pass me up tonight,” Newell said. “I wanted to have the ball in my hands at the end of the game and I was able to get a good look against a tough defender. My team had a lot of confidence in me in the final timeout.”
Senior guard Laron Frazier (
The two teams opened the game and traded baskets in the early going until Frazier scored five straight points to give the Cardinals an early 7-4 lead. Frazier's five points were the start of an 11-3 run for
IPFW (3-3) answered moments later with a 10-3 run of its own to take a 20-18 lead with just over five minutes left in the half to force a BSU timeout. The Cardinals scored back-to-back baskets after the time out as junior forward Eric Wormely (
IPFW finished the half shooting 34.6 percent (nine-of-26) from the field and hit two-of-seven (28.6%) from long range. Forward Trey McCorkle scored seven points in seven minutes as he was limited with two fouls.
The Mastodons came out of the break and posted an early 7-2 run to take a 36-29 lead five minutes into the half. After a BSU timeout, the Cardinals showed their mettle and ran off a 10-1 run to take a 39-37 lead. Freshman forward Jarrod Jones (
Ball State kept the pressure on and took a 49-45 lead as Frazier hit his second three-pointer of the game with just over four minutes to go in the game. IPFW did not back down as David Carson nailed a three-pointer to pull within one to set up the late game drama in the final two minutes.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 39.5 percent (17-of-43) from the field and 33.3 percent (three-of-nine) from long range.
IPFW was led in scoring by McCorkle who finished with a game-high 15 points in just 14 minutes. He finished a perfect six-of-six from the field and was three-of-four from the line.
The victory marks the second road victory of the season for the Cardinals after only picking up one road win all of last season.
The Cardinals continue their two-game road swing Saturday night as they travel to
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