Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
0-1
Arizona
3-0
Upset Bid Falls Short For Men's Hoops At #16 Arizona
November 13, 2011 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Ball State men's basketball team nearly pulled off the upset in its 2011-12 season opener as the Cardinals fell to No. 16 Arizona 73-63 Sunday afternoon in front of 12,833 raucous fans at the McKale Center. The Cardinals held an 11-point lead on the Wildcats early in the second half but fell short in their upset attempt as Arizona out-scored BSU 44-25 in the second half.
"I was really proud of our guys' effort tonight and we really battled all game long," fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor said. "We did a lot of good things out there tonight and it is unfortunate we were unable to get the decision. In a lot of ways we beat ourselves as we didn't stick to our game plan for 40 minutes against a really good Arizona team."
Senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) tied his career-high with 25 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Jones connected on 11-of-15 from the field, including hitting three three-pointers, the first long range shots of his career. Senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) tied his career-high with 11 assists while only committing two turnovers in 36 minutes of play.
"Randy Davis did a great job against the type of pressure and athleticism tonight," Taylor said. "For him to finish with 11 assists and only two turnovers is a testament to his play. Jarrod Jones was tremendous tonight with 25 points and nine rebounds as he stepped up to the challenge we gave him prior to the game."
Ball State (0-1) came out of the gate and went toe-to-toe with the nationally ranked Wildcats who were an NCAA Elite Eight team last season. The Cardinals posted a 7-2 run in the early going to take a 17-10 lead with just over 12 minutes left in the first half. Davis started the run as he nailed a long three-pointer while junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) scored on a drive to give the Cardinals a seven-point lead.
After the lead was trimmed to three, Ball State posted a 9-1 run to stretch its lead to a half-high 11 points at 26-15. Jones started the spurt with a jump shot while Scaife kept the Cardinals' three-point shooting going with another long range shot.
Arizona (3-0) battled back and scored seven straight of its own, five of which came from the free throw line, to narrow the Ball State lead to 26-22 with 3:03 left in the first half. Ball State showed their mettle as it posted a 7-1 run to extend the lead back to double figures as Davis drove the lane for a layup and Jones nailed his second three-pointer of the half to take a 33-23 lead.
The Cardinals closed out the half in emphatic fashion as Jones drove the lane with the clock running down and sent home a thunderous dunk as the Cardinals ran into the locker room with a 38-29 lead. Ball State connected on 14-of-33 (42.4%) from the field and hit 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three-point land.
The Cardinals protected the ball as they only committed one turnover while forcing the Wildcats into 10 first half miscues. Jones led all scorers with 12 first half points as he was 5-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-2 from long range, while Scaife added 11 points. Davis chipped in seven points and handed out seven first half assists.
Arizona connected on 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from the field and 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from long range. Kyle Fogg led the Wildcats with 10 first half points while Brandon Lavender scored six points off the bench.
Ball State opened the second half and extended its lead to 11 points at 42-31 with 18:13 left in the game as Jones scored in the paint. Arizona got the crowd going and posted a 12-3 run to narrow the gap to 47-46 with 12:12 remaining. Fogg and Kevin Parrom each nailed three-pointers in the run as the Wildcats picked up the pressure on the defensive end.
The Cardinals slowed the tied with four straight points to raise the lead back to five at 51-46. Sophomore Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) scored two from the free throw line and Jones nailed a jumper from the baseline.
Arizona continued to press on as it posted a 16-4 run to take a 62-55 lead with 1:29 remaining in the game. The Wildcats did their damage from three-point land as Fogg, Jesse Perry and Solomon Hill all high long range shots.
Ball State had one final push as sophomore Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) converted an old-fashioned three-point play, but Arizona sealed the victory from the free throw line hitting 11 of its last 12 shots.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field and 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from three-point land. Ball State out-scored the Wildcats 26-10 in the paint but were out-rebounded 39-29.
Scaife scored 14 points in the loss as he hit four three-pointers but was 5-of-17 from the field overall. Berry added 11 points off the bench in 25 minutes of play. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State) got the start in his first career game for the Cardinals and played 18 minutes.
Arizona ended the game shooting 39.5 percent (17-of-43) from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from long range. The Wildcats out-scored the Cardinals 31-6 from the free throw line as they hit 31-of-43 (72.1%). Fogg led Arizona with 21 points while Hill posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Ball State returns to action Friday night as it travels to 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Indiana State. Game time is set for 5:05 p.m. at the Hulman Center.
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