Men?s Basketball Falls At UC-Santa Barbara, 71-51

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. ? The Ball State men's basketball team suffered a 71-51 loss to UC Santa Barbara Monday night at the Thunderdome in non-conference action. The loss drops the Cardinals to 5-6 on the season, while UCSB improves to 6-6 on the year.

“We have to learn to play our game for 40 minutes,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “We started slow and dug ourselves too deep a hole that we couldn't get out of. We played better in the second half on both ends but we have to find consistency for an entire game.”

UCSB opened the game quickly as it scored six straight points before senior forward Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) scored against the zone and freshman guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) nailed a three-pointer to pull within one at 6-5. The two teams traded baskets until the Gauchos posted an 8-1 run to take a 20-12 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the half.

Junior guard Brawley Chisholm (Bronx, N.Y./Western Texas College) came in and provided a spark as he nailed his first three three-pointers to force a UCSB timeout as the Cardinals narrowed the deficit to four at 25-21 with 5:28 remaining in the half. Chisholm's nine first half points tied his career-high (nine vs. Eastern Illinois) in just four minutes of play in the opening frame.

UC Santa Barbara regrouped after the timeout and put together a 16-2 run to end the half with a 41-23 lead. The 41 first half points are tied for the most points the Cardinals have allowed this season in one half. The Cardinals finished the first half shooting 32.1 percent (nine-of-28) from the field and 36.4 percent (four-of-11) from three-point land. Chisholm led the way with nine points while Newell adds five points and Davis dished out five assists

The Gauchos were strong shooting in the first half as they hit 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the field and were on fire from three-point land as they hit 66.7 percent (six-of-nine) from long range. UCSB came into the game only averaging 5.4 three-pointers per game and were shooting 32.8 percent from long range on the year.

Ball State came out to start the second half with more energy as junior forward Eric Wormely (Joliet, Ill./Kishwaukee CC) scored on a jumper and Newell on a put-back to open the half. The two teams traded baskets back-and-forth until UCSB ran off a 6-1 spurt to take a 50-32 lead.

The Cardinals made a push as they turned in a 9-2 run to pull within 13 at 55-42 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. Wormely highlighted the run with five straight points, including an old-fashioned three-point play at the start of the stretch. UCSB responded though with a 14-4 run to erase any chance of a Cardinals' comeback as the Gauchos took a 69-46 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

Ball State finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (19-of-52) from the field and just 26.7 percent (four-of-15) from three-point land. The Cardinals continued to struggle from the free throw line as they hit just 50 percent (nine-of-18) from the charity stripe. UC Santa Barbara finished the game shooting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 43.8 percent (seven-of-16) from long range.

The Cardinals were led in scoring by Newell who finished just shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Chisholm added nine points on three-of-six shooting while Wormely chipped in seven points in his first career start. Davis dished out a career-high eight assists in the loss for the Cardinals.

The Gauchos had four players scored in double figures in the victory as James Powell led the way with 15 points, including three three-pointers. Chris Devine and James Nunnally each chipped in 12 points while Jordan Weiner added 11 points.

The Cardinals will open the New Year Saturday afternoon as they host St. Joseph's at 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena in non-conference action. The game will be Ball State's final tune-up before Mid-American Conference play.

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Team Stats

Anthony Newell

Brawley Chisholm

Eric Wormely

Brandon Lampley

Players Mentioned

Brawley Chisholm

Randy Davis

Anthony Newell

Eric Wormely

Players Mentioned

Brawley Chisholm

Randy Davis

Anthony Newell

Eric Wormely