Ball State University
11-4, 3-0MAC
Central Michigan
4-12, 1-2MAC
Men's Hoops Notches 64-55 Victory Over Central Michigan
January 15, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Behind a balanced scoring attack, the Ball State men's basketball team scored a 64-55 victory over Central Michigan Saturday afternoon in Mid-American Conference play at Worthen Arena. The victory runs the Cardinals' record to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in league play while Central Michigan falls to 4-12 overall and 1-2 in MAC play. The win also raises the Cardinals' winning streak to five straight games, their longest winning streak since the 2003-04 season.
"This wasn't one of our best games today," head coach Billy Taylor said. "I am proud of our guys for showing a will to win today even when we didn't play at our best. Our defense stood strong in key stretches for us. We have a lot of things we need to work on after this game but we got great production off our bench once again today and found a way to win."
All nine players to see action scored at least three points, with six scoring seven-or-more. Junior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) and junior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) tied for team-high honors with 10 points apiece, while freshmen Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) and Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) chipped in nine apiece.
Ball State's main advantage in the contest came from the free throw line, where the Cardinals hit 30-of-42 attempts in the victory, including a 10-for-10 effort from Davis. All nine Cardinals who saw action in the contest hit at least one free throw as BSU connected on 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. Central Michigan conversely hit just 3-of-10 (30%) from the line in the loss.
Central Michigan opened the game on a quick 7-0 run as Trey Zeigler scored four early points. The Cardinals settled in and responded with an 11-2 run to take an 11-9 lead just under seven minutes into the game. Robinson scored five points in the run while classmate Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) converted an old-fashioned three-point play.
The teams went back-and-forth during the sluggish first half with the Cardinals holding a 20-18 lead with just under seven minutes remaining. Central Michigan closed the half on a 12-5 run to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.
Ball State connected on 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from the field but committed 11 turnovers in the opening frame. Nine different Cardinals scored in the first half with Robinson leading the way with five, while Bond added four points. Central Michigan ended the first half shooting 48.1 percent (13-of-27), including 4-of-6 (66.7%) from long range. Zeigler led the Chippewas with 11 first half points while Jalin Thomas added five points.
The Cardinals came out of the halftime break and put together a 6-0 run to tie the game at 32-32 as senior forward Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) converted a three-point play. Central Michigan responded with an 8-0 run to run the lead to 40-32 as Thomas nailed back-to-back three-pointers.
Ball State weathered the storm and posted a 13-4 run to take the lead back at 45-44 with 9:03 left in the game. Berry was the offensive catalyst as he scored seven points in the run, including the Cardinals' only two three-pointers of the game to swing the momentum in Ball State's favor.
Central Michigan kept battling as it posted a four-point spurt from Zeigler to take a 48-46 lead with 6:59 left in the game. The Cardinals finally found some breathing room with a 10-3 run to take the lead back for good at 56-51. Robinson started the spurt as he converted a three-point play while Jones scored four points during the run. Ball State slammed the door shut at the free throw line as it hit nine of its last 10 from the charity stripe to take home the nine-point victory.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field while going to the foul line a season-high 42 times. Ball State also committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the victory despite CMU converting those miscues into 17 points.
Jones finished just shy of a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds while Perry added seven points and six rebounds. Scaife chipped in seven points despite hitting just 1-of-4 from the free throw line.
Central Michigan shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field and hit 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from three-point land. The Chippewas were also out-rebounded by a 30-20 margin in the loss and committed 14 turnovers. Zeigler finished with a game-high 21 points while Thomas added 17 points before going down with an injury.
Ball State hits the road this week for two straight road games as it travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., Wednesday to battle Eastern Michigan. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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