Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
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IUPUI
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Jones' Career-High Leads Men's Hoops Over IUPUI
November 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Cardinals to a 69-62 victory over IUPUI Wednesday night in the Cardinals' home opener at Worthen Arena. The victory improves the Cardinals to 74-17 all-time in home openers, including wins in 11 of the past 12.
"We played a pretty good first half getting a double-digit lead but in the second half we were really inconsistent on both ends of the floor," fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor said. "Our guys battled down the stretch and we got big hustle plays from Aaron (Adeoye) and Matt Kamieniecki while Randy (Davis) and Jarrod (Jones) sealed it from the free throw line. It wasn't a thing of beauty tonight, but we certainly feel good about getting the win."
Jones surpassed his career-high with a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left in the game after posting 25 points three times in career, including 25 at No. 16 Arizona in the season opener. He connected on 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line while grabbing six rebounds and 34 minutes of play.
Senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) came just shy of a double-double as he scored 13 points and dished out nine assists while not committing a turnover. Davis hit all six of his free throws and grabbed four rebounds. Junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) added 15 points in relief as he came off the bench for just the third time in his career and hit 4-of-6 three-pointers.
Ball State (1-2) came out of the gate quickly as it used an early 10-2 run to take a14-7 lead just over seven minutes into the game. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State) started the run with a three-pointer while Jones capped the spurt as he converted an old-fashioned three-point play.
After IUPUI (1-4) scored five quick points, Ball State posted an 11-2 run to stretch its lead to 25-14 and force the Jaguars into a timeout. Jones was the catalyst once again as he scored six straight points, including his second and-one basket of the half.
The Jaguars stayed within striking distance as they trimmed the BSU lead to 29-23 courtesy of some timely outside shooting. The Cardinals closed the half on an 8-2 run as Scaife started to heat up hitting two three-pointers in the final 1:09 of the half to send the Cardinals into the locker room with a 37-25 lead.
Ball State connected on 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from long range. The Cardinals out-scored the Jaguars 18-12 in the paint, including 8-2 on second chance points. Jones led the way with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting while Scaife chipped in 11 points off the bench.
IUPUI connected on 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the field and 30 percent (3-of-10) from long range. The Jaguars were led by Lyonell Gaines who scored six points while the Cardinals held reigning Summit League Player of the Year Alex Young to two points.
The Jaguars came out of the halftime break and posted an 11-4 run to narrow the Cardinals' lead to 43-36. Jones settled Ball State down as he scored seven straight points, including his third three-point play of the game.
IUPUI stayed within striking distance as it answered the Cardinals' baskets but both offenses slowed in the second half. The Jaguars pulled within four at 59-55 with 3:33 left before freshman forward Aaron Adeoye (Marion, Ill./Marion) scored a crucial offensive put-back to give the Cardinals a six-point lead.
Stephen Thomas pulled the Jaguars within two at 64-62 with 1:21 left in the game as he hit a jumper in the lane. The Cardinals withstood the pressure and hit five of their last six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory while limiting the Jaguars to six missed shots in the last minute of play.
Ball State connected on 46.0 percent (23-of-50) from the field in the victory while hitting 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from long range. The Cardinals ended the evening hitting 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the free throw line led by 12-of-13 from senior captains Davis and Jones.
Ball State out-rebounded the Jaguars 38-27 in the victory and out-scored them 14-7 in second chance points. Sophomore forward Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while classmate Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) picked up seven rebounds.
IUPUI finished the night shooting 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the field and 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from long range. The Jaguars hit 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line but committed 14 turnovers in the loss. Thomas finished with a team-high 18 points as he was 6-of-12 from the field while Marcellus Barksdale ended with 12 off the bench. Young was limited to nine points on 3-of-15 shooting despite entering the game averaging 16.3 points per game.
Ball State continues its three-game home stand Sunday afternoon as it hosts Calumet College. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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