Ball State University
2-1
Temple
3-1
Men's Basketball Falls At Temple, 66-46
November 25, 2009 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Ball State men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2009-10 season Tuesday night as the Cardinals dropped a 66-46 decision to Atlantic 10 power Temple at the Liacouras Center. The loss drops the Cardinals to 2-1 on the season while the Owls improve to 3-1 on the year.
"Temple is a very talented team," head coach Billy Taylor said. "Tonight was a great learning experience for our young team in our first road game of the year. We had some success in our first two games, but tonight we found areas that we still need to improve. Our guys will learn from tonight and continue to develop as a team as the season goes forward."
Freshman guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Central) led the Cardinals in scoring with 10 points while also dishing out three assists and recording three steals. Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) was hampered early due to foul trouble and was the focus of the Temple defense as he finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Temple, which was an NCAA Tournament team last season, started quickly as it took advantage of Jones's in early foul trouble. He picked up two fouls in the first 2:31 of the contest forcing him to sit out for most of the half. The Cardinals battled back-and-forth during the first eight minutes as they trailed 14-12 as Scaife scored five early points.
Temple gained some breathing room over the next seven-plus minutes as it posted an 11-2 run to take a 25-14 lead. The run was highlighted by a three-pointer from Craig Williams and a fast break basket from Ryan Brooks in a span of 17 seconds.
Jones re-entered the game and quickly scored four points, but his first basket did not come until the 4:47 mark of the half. The Cardinals battled down the stretch with senior guard Brawley Chisholm (Bronx, N.Y./Western Texas College) nailing a jumper as time expired to pull BSU within 32-22 at the break.
Ball State connected don 52.9 percent (nine-of-17) from the field but shot nine fewer field goals in the half than the Owls. Temple connected on 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field in the first half and hit four-of-nine (44.4%) from long range. Temple's defense forced the Cardinals into seven first half turnovers in which the Owls converted into 11 points.
Temple came out of the halftime break and scored the first six points to force BSU into a timeout. The Cardinals re-grouped and narrowed the gap back to 10 points at 42-32 as Scaife scored five straight points, including his second three-pointer of the night. The Owls responded with a spurt of their own as they ran off a 14-4 run to take a 56-36 lead with less than eight minutes left in the half. Temple maintained its lead down the stretch to seal the victory.
The Cardinals finished the night shooting just 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the field in the loss and just 28.6 percent (two-of-seven) from long range. BSU was forced into 17 turnovers that led to 26 points for Temple. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Owls by a 31-27 margin though as senior forward Terrence Watson (Detroit, Mich./Univ. of Mississippi) led the way with a career-high 10 rebounds.
Temple finished the night shooting 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field and 37.5 percent (six-of-16) from three-point land. Brooks led all scorers with 17 points, while also handing out seven assists. Forward Lavoy Allen chipped in 16 points while Juan Fernandez added 13 points for the Owls.
Ball State returns to Worthen Arena Saturday afternoon as the Cardinals host UC Davis in non-conference action at 1 p.m.
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