Ball State University
6-2
Butler
4-6
Men's Basketball Topples Butler, 58-55
December 10, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - In front of its largest home crowd since 2005, the Ball State men's basketball team won its sixth straight game Saturday afternoon as the Cardinals downed two-time NCAA Tournament finalist Butler 58-55 with 8,421 raucous fans in attendance at Worthen Arena, including 2,362 students in the Nest. The victory is the Cardinals' first over Butler since 2003 and it snaps a seven-game losing streak in the series.
"Our guys did a tremendous job with our defense the entire game," fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor said. "We were able to push the tempo in the first half and in the second half we were able to grind it out with a half-court game. I was really proud of our guys for finding a way to grind it out against a good Butler team that thrives itself on half-court basketball. We found a way to win, which is the most important thing in the end."
Senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) continued his stellar campaign as he scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Jones scored eight of the Cardinals' final 16 points down the stretch, including the go-ahead basket with 47.2 seconds left that broke a 54-54 tie and gave the Cardinals the lead for good. He has scored 20 or more points in six of the Cardinals' eight games this season as he averages a team-high 20.0 points per game.
Ball State's defense limited the Bulldogs to just 30.8 percent (20-of-65) shooting from the field and only 13.6 percent (3-of-22) shooting from long range. The Cardinals forced Butler into two critical turnovers in the final 47.2 seconds to seal the victory. Ball State posted seven steals and blocked four shots in the victory as it scored 15 points off of turnovers.
"Our defense really stood strong tonight when it had to," Taylor said. "In those critical moments of the game, you have to know your scouting reports and know what the other team wants to do and be able to take that away from them."
The 8,421 fans in attendance marks the largest crowd at Worthen since a sellout of 11,500 December 31, 2005 when the Cardinals hosted Indiana. The crowd Saturday is the 21st largest crowd in Worthen Arena history.
"It's a big win for us as it is our largest crowd of the year, our students came out in force and our guys played well," Taylor said. "Hopefully our guys showed the local fan base and our students a reason to come back and support the team as the season moves on."
Ball State (6-2) came out of the gate and used the momentum from the crowd to run out to an 8-0 lead to force and early Butler timeout less than four minutes into the game. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State) hit an early three-pointer while sophomore Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) scored three early points to give the Cardinals the lead.
Ball State kept the pressure on the Bulldogs as it posted a 10-0 run to take a 21-8 lead and force Butler into its second timeout of the half. Junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) hit two three-pointers in the run as the Cardinals took a 13-point lead.
Butler (4-6) slowed the momentum as it scored six straight points, including a three-pointer by Chase Stigall. The two teams grinded back-and-forth over the final eight minutes of the half as both defenses clamped down. Butler closed the half on a modest 6-2 run, including a tip-in at the buzzer by Khyle Marshall to narrow the Cardinals' lead to 32-24 heading into the break.
Ball State connected on 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from the field in the first half and hits 3-of-7 (42.9%) from three-point land. The Cardinals were led by Jones who scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half while Scaife added six points.
Butler connected on 25.8 percent (8-of-31) from the field and just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from long range in the first half. Marshall led the Bulldogs with eight points off the bench to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Butler came out of the halftime break and scored the first four points of the game. Koch slowed the Bulldogs' down as he nailed back-to-back three-pointers to put the Cardinals in front 38-26 with 16:06 left.
Butler started to chip away at the Cardinals' lead and posted a 12-2 run to tie the game for the first time at 44-44 with 8:54 left in the second half. Jackson Aldridge ignited the run with a deep three-pointer and Chrishawn Hopkins tied the game at 44 as he scored in transition, beating the BSU defense down the floor.
The Cardinals regrouped and battled down the stretch trading baskets with the Bulldogs. Ball State posted four straight points from the free throw line as Jones and sophomore Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) each hit a pair to give the Cardinals a 52-47 lead. Butler responded with a 7-2 run to tie the game as Marshall hit a jumper with 1:19 left in the game to knot the score at 54-54.
Ball State came up with the big basket on the ensuing possession as senior point guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) ran a pick-and-roll with Jones and got him the ball on the baseline. Jones drained a 15-foot jumper in front of the Butler defense to give the Cardinals the lead for good at 56-54.
Ball State stepped up its effort on the defensive end in the closing seconds as it forced the Bulldogs into back-to-back turnovers. Davis sealed the victory as he nailed two free throws with 4.4 seconds left to secure the win.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 37.8 percent (17-of-45) from the field, including 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from three-point land. Koch ended the day with nine points, a career-high eight rebounds and two assists as he hit three three-pointers. Davis added eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots while hitting all four of his free throws.
Butler was led by Marshall who posted a double-double off the bench with 21 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. Andrew Smith added eight points and Aldridge tallied eight off the bench for the Bulldogs.
Ball State will be off the upcoming week for final exams and returns to action December 19 as it takes on IUPUI at Conseco Fieldhouse.
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