MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State men's basketball team battled hard for 40 minutes Saturday afternoon before falling to Saint Joseph's 63-55 at Worthen Arena in non-conference action. The Cardinals were strong in the paint against the Hawks as they matched SJU point-for-point in the paint (34-34) and held a 38-29 rebounding advantage.
“I was really pleased with our effort today,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “We played with intensity and heart from the start of the game and that is a great improvement over our last couple of games. We still have things we need to improve on and will get a week of practice in before opening Mid-American Conference play next weekend.”
Freshman forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) paced the Cardinals' attack as he tied for the team lead with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jones connected on eight-of-17 from the field, tallied one block and recorded a steal in 33 minutes of play. Senior forward Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) also added 16 points and nine rebounds as he finished just shy of a double-double.
After the Hawks opened the game with a three-pointer, Ball State (5-7) ran off a 9-3 run to take an early 9-6 lead. Sophomore forward Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) got things going against his hometown team as he scored the first four points of the game for the Cardinals and senior guard Rob Giles (Detroit, Mich./Mott CC) capped the spurt with a three-pointer.
Saint Joseph's (6-7) pulled within one with a basket before the Cardinals responded with an 11-3 run to take a 20-11 lead and force a Hawks' timeout. Jones got things going with six points in the spurt including an alley oop dunk from freshman forward Mo Hubbard (Chantilly, Va./Westfield). Perry capped the run with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 10:17 mark of the first half.
The Hawks regrouped after the timeout and closed the half on a 17-4 run to take a 28-24 lead into the locker room. The Cardinals committed seven of their nine first half turnovers in the final 10 minutes of the half as Saint Joseph's was able to take the lead back for good down the stretch.
Ball State connected on 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the field in the first half. The Cardinals were strong on the glass as they posted a 20-14 advantage in rebounds, including eight offensive boards in the opening frame. Jones paced the early going with eight points while Perry scored seven points and recorded two first half steals. The Hawks finished the half shooting 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the field as Tasheed Carr led the way with 14 points in the first half.
Saint Joseph's opened the second half on an 8-2 run to take a 10-point lead at 36-26 just over six minutes into the game. The two teams settled in and traded baskets for the next eight minutes before the Cardinals posted an 8-4 run to narrow the deficit to 46-40 with 5:10 remaining. Newell scored three points in the run while Giles capped the spurt with a basket off of an offensive rebound.
The Hawks looked ready to put the game away as they posted a 10-4 run to take a 58-44 lead with just 1:35 remaining. Ball State showed its heart as the Cardinals fought down the stretch and ran off an 11-2 run to pull within five points at 60-55. Newell was the catalyst with nine points in the run courtesy of two three-pointers and an old-fashioned three-point play. Saint Joseph's was able to hit its free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the hard fought victory.
Ball State finished the game shooting 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the field and 23.1 percent (three-of-13) from three-point land. The Cardinals out-scored SJU in second chance points 16-9 as they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds.
Perry finished the game with eight points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in 31 minutes of action. Hubbard provided a spark off the bench as he scored eight points on four-of-four shooting in 16 energy filled minutes. Freshman Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) continued he solid play at point guard as he finished with six assists and just two turnovers.
Saint Joseph's ended the game shooting 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field and 20 percent (two-of-10) from long range. The Hawks hit 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the free throw line. SJU was paced by senior forward Ahmad Nivins who finished with a game-high 19 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Carr added 18 points and six rebounds while Darrin Govens chipped in 11 points in the victory.
The Cardinals will be off this week as they prepare for their Mid-American Conference season opener next Saturday afternoon when Ball State travels to Eastern Michigan for a 4 p.m. tip-off at the Convocation Center.
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