YPSILANTI, Mich. ? The Ball State men's basketball team opened up Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon with a 46-42 victory over Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center. The victory marks the Cardinals' first in a MAC opener since the 2004-05 season and raises their overall record to 6-7 on the year.
The Cardinals' victory was subdued though due to the loss of senior forward Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) to a leg injury at the 12:04 mark of the second half. Newell was taken from the Convocation Center to the hospital with Ball State training staff. He had turned in another strong performance before the injury as he had already posted his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“Our team showed a lot of heart and fight in the face of a lot of adversity after losing Anthony,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “Our team came together and rose to another level with tough half court defense. It is a great testament to our kids for how they came together as one. I am very proud of our team's effort and resiliency today.”
The Cardinals came out of the gate and jumped out to an early 5-2 lead thanks in large part to the Simeon High School connection as freshman guard Pierre Sneed (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) and Newell each found the basket in the first two minutes.
After two quick baskets by the Eagles, Ball State ran off an 8-2 run to take a 13-8 lead with 9:34 left. Freshman forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) started the run with a basket in the paint while senior guard Laron Frazier (Waukegan, Ill./Highland CC) returned to the floor after missing three games and nailed a runner in the lane.
Eastern Michigan narrowed the Cardinals' lead to one point at 13-12 with 7:36 left in the half. The Cardinals stiffened on the defensive end as they did not allow a field goal the rest of the half as Ball State closed the half on an 11-1 run to take a 24-13 lead into the locker room. Newell sparked the run as he scored the final seven points of the half, including a three-pointer as time expired in the first half.
Ball State finished the first half shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field and 40 percent (two-of-five) from three-point land. The Cardinals' defense came up with five first half steals as BSU scored six fast break points. Newell was the catalyst in the first half as he scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in 18 minutes.
Eastern Michigan was held to just 17.4 percent (four-of-23) shooting from the field in the first half and zero-of-nine from three-point land. Forward Brandon Bowdry led the Eagles in scoring in the first half with four points, despite shooting 0-for-10 in the opening frame from the field.
Ball State started the second half quickly as Jones scored the first four points of the half and the Cardinals' first eight points of the half as BSU took a 31-18 lead with 14:56 remaining. The Cardinals took a 33-20 lead at the 12:29 mark as Newell sank two free throws before suffering his injury.
After the long injury delay, Eastern Michigan was able to post a 9-2 run as the Cardinals battled to adjust to the adversity. After a Cardinals' timeout, Ball State was able to stall the EMU momentum as Jones and senior forward Rob Giles (Detroit, Mich./Mott) scored back-to-back baskets.
Eastern Michigan (2-13, 0-1 MAC) nailed its first three-pointer to narrow the BSU lead to 38-32, but freshman guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) nailed two free throws and Jones was the recipient of a great pass from senior guard Brandon Lampley (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) to score on a dunk to take 42-32 lead just over two minutes left in the game.
The Eagles kept battling back with a couple of three-pointers but the Cardinals nailed their last six free throws, four by Davis and two by Giles to seal the hard fought victory. The Cardinals finished the game shooting 36.2 percent (17-of-47) from the field and 22.2 percent (two-of-nine) from three-point land.
Jones finished the game with a team-high 15 points as he was seven-of-13 from the field. He also added six rebounds, two blocked shots and one steal in the victory. Giles added seven points and four rebounds while Davis finished with six points.
Eastern Michigan was held to just 28.6 percent (14-of-49) shooting from the field in the game and just 16.7 percent (three-of-18) from three-point land. Bowdry led the Eagles in scoring with 16 points but was held to just three-of-19 shooting from the field. Justin Dobbins, the Eagles' second leading scorer, was held to just four points in the loss.
The Cardinals open the home portion of the 2009 MAC schedule Tuesday night as they host Northern Illinois. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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