Ball State University
3-4, 0-0
Tennessee Tech
4-6, 0-1
Men's Hoops Drops Overtime Thriller at Tennessee Tech
December 12, 2009 | Men's Basketball
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Ball State men's basketball team rallied from a second half deficit and forced overtime as freshman guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Central) nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer, but the Cardinals dropped an 86-81 overtime contest to host Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon at the Eblen Center.
"Our identity is our defense and we didn't defend today how we normally do," head coach Billy Taylor said. "Our guys played hard, played competitive and really battled today but we weren't able to contain dribble penetration the way we teach and we allowed too many easy, open shots."
Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) posted his first double-double of the season in the loss as he led all scorers with 18 points while grabbing a season-high 10 rebounds. Jones connected on seven-of-12 from the field and was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line.
The Cardinals (3-4) opened the game strong as they took an early 8-5 lead as sophomore guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) nailed a three-pointer. The Golden Eagles responded with five straight points to take a 10-8 lead, but BSU rolled off nine straight points to take the largest lead of the afternoon, 17-10. Freshman guard Myron Green Jr. (Long Beach, Calif./Dominguez) scored four points in the spurt, including a basket after stealing the inbounds pass from TTU.
The two teams battled back and forth with the Cardinals hold a 28-22 lead with just over four minutes left in the half as Jones scored seven straight points for BSU. The Golden Eagles battled back and pulled within three points in the closing seconds. TTU almost tied the game going into break as Kevin Murphy's three-pointer at the buzzer was waved off after video replay determined it was after the clock had expired.
Ball State connected on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the field in the first half and hit 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the free throw line. Jones led the Cardinals with nine first half points. Tennessee Tech (4-6) finished the half shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and hit all four of its free throws.
The Cardinals opened the second half scoring four quick points as Scaife and junior Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) scored on back-to-back possessions. The Golden Eagles responded with a 20-6 run that gave them a 50-43 with 12:41 left in the second half. Jud Dillard scored eight straight points for TTU during the spurt.
Ball State continued to battle and narrowed the gap to 67-62 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The Cardinals scored four straight points as Davis and Perry both nailed a pair of free throws to pull within one point. The two teams traded baskets before Dillard scored with 1:09 remaining to give the Golden Eagles a 71-68 lead.
Perry hit one of two free throws on the ensuing possession to narrow the gap back to two points, but Dillard only hit one of two free throws on the return trip to keep it a one possession game. The Cardinals had the last possession and Davis shot a deep three-pointer that was just off the mark. The rebound came out to Scaife who wisely stepped back behind the three-point line and nailed the game-tying three-pointer as time expired. The play was reviewed by the officials who determined Scaife was behind the arc and the shot was taken before the horn sounded
"Jauwan made a huge shot for us at the end of regulation," Taylor said. "I am really proud of our guys for their execution down the stretch as we didn't panic. We initially missed the first shot and on the rebound Jauwan had the presence of mind to get back and make a big-time shot. We work a lot on situations and I was really proud of our guys being able to execute in that situation, knowing the time and score to get the right shot."
The Cardinals hit 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field in the second half and their only three-pointer of the half came at the buzzer. Ball State again was strong from the line as it connected on 80 percent (12-of-15). Tennessee Tech shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field in the second half and hit only 41.7 (five-of-12) from the line.
Ball State took the first lead of the overtime period as Jones scored on a dunk but TTU answered with a basket from Kevin Murphy. The Cardinals had a couple of good looks on the ensuing possession but could not get the ball to fall. The Golden Eagles took advantage of Zach Bailey scored five straight points, including a three-pointer to give TTU the lead back for good.
The Cardinals made one final push as freshman guard John Green (Osceola, Ind./Naval Academy Prep) nailed a three-pointer to shave the deficit to two at 79-77. Tennessee Tech was able to seal the game with two more baskets and free throws in the final minute.
Ball State finished the night shooting 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the field and 50 percent (four-of-eight) from three-point land. The Cardinals turned in their best shooting night from the charity stripe as they hit 71.9 percent (23-of-32) from the line. Tennessee Tech ended the game shooting 53.2 percent (33-of-62) from the field but only connecting on 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the free throw line.
Scaife finished the night with 13 points as he was five-of-12 from the field and two-of-three from long range. Davis also added 13 points as he was eight-of-11 from the free throw line and dished out a game-high six assists. Perry tallied 10 points on three-of-three shooting from the field and five-of-six from the line.
Tennessee Tech was led by Murphy's 18 points off the bench as he was seven-of-12 from the field. Dillard chipped in 15 points off of the bench as he was six-of-eight from the field while Frank Davis added 13 points.
The Cardinals will be off this week for final exams and return to action Saturday, December 19 when they take part in the Wooden Tradition. Ball State will face off against nationally ranked Purdue at 2 p.m. at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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