Ball State University
UT Martin
Men's Basketball Tops UT Martin In ESPNU BracketBusters
February 20, 2010 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's basketball team picked up its third straight victory as the Cardinals downed Tennessee-Martin 68-52 Saturday afternoon at Worthen Arena in the ESPNU BracketBusters event. The victory improves the Cardinals to 15-11 overall on the year, surpassing their win total from last season and marking the most wins for Ball State in a season since the 2004-05 season (15-13).
"Our defense stepped up strong today, especially in the second half," head coach Billy Taylor said. "We didn't do a great job rebounding today but when you hold a team in the 34 percent shooting and defend the three like we did, good things happen. Offensively, we did a much better job in the second half distributing the basketball and making the extra pass."
The Cardinals used a strong inside presence to earn the victory as they scored 36 points in the paint as three different forwards reached double figures in scoring. Junior forward Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) and senior forward Terrence Watson (Detroit, Mich./Univ. of Mississippi) each paced the attack with a team-high 15 points. Perry connected on 7-of-9 from the field off the bench while Watson hit 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
Tennessee-Martin (4-23) opened the game to an early 7-4 lead to force an early BSU timeout. The Cardinals regrouped as Perry scored on back-to-back baskets to put the Cardinals back in the lead. Ball State posted a 10-2 run to take a 20-13 lead with 6:48 left in the first half. Watson scored four straight during the run while sophomore guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) nailed a three-pointer to cap the spurt. The Skyhawks narrowed the deficit to 26-22 heading into the locker room as Marquis Weddle scored nine first half points.
The Cardinals connected on 34.5 percent (10-of-29) from the field and just 16.7 percent (1-of-6) from three-point land. Watson led Ball State with eight first half points as he was 4-of-6 from the field. Perry added six points off of the bench in 12 minutes of action, while Davis tallied five points and five rebounds in the opening frame. UT Martin shot 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field in the first half but only 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from long range.
Ball State came out in the second half and extended the lead to 45-30 with 11:17 left as it posted a 17-6 run, including eight straight. Perry highlighted the run as he scored five points, including an old-fashioned three-point play in transition off of a steal from sophomore forward Mo Hubbard (Chantilly, Va./Westfield). Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) also added a three-point play in the spurt.
UT Martin answered with a 9-2 run of its own to pull back within eight at 49-41. Perry slowed the run as he scored on back-to-back Ball State possessions. The Skyhawks kept battling as they trailed by eight at 56-48 with 3:30 left in the game. The Cardinals put the game away down the stretch though as they closed on a 12-4 run to take home the 68-52 victory. Jones scored four points in the run while Watson added five points, including the exclamation point in the final minute as he scored on the fast break dunk.
Ball State finished the game shooting 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the field as it hit 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half. The Cardinals were strong at the free throw line once again as they hit 75.0 percent (18-of-24). Jones finished the night with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds as he was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 form the line. Davis continued his strong play as he scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists in 32 minutes of action.
UT Martin ended the game shooting 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field, but only 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from three-point land. The Skyhawks only went to the line five times in the loss compared to the Cardinals' 24 free throw attempts. Weddle led UTM with 15 points as he was 6-of-15 from the field while Reuben Clayton added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
The Cardinals return to Mid-American Conference play Wednesday night as they close out the home portion of the 2009-10 regular season schedule when they host Eastern Michigan. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena and Ball State will honors its two seniors, Brawley Chisholm (Bronx, N.Y./Western Texas College) and Terrence Watson (Detroit, Mich./Univ. of Mississippi), prior to the contest.
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