Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
6-4
Morehead State
6-7
Men's Basketball Falls At Morehead State, 62-54
December 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Ball State men's basketball team dropped its second straight game Friday night as the Cardinals suffered a 62-54 loss to 2011 NCAA Tournament participant Morehead State at Johnson Arena. The Cardinals committed a season-high 24 turnovers in the loss while also being out-rebounded by a 34-25 margin, including 18 offensive rebounds for the Eagles.
"We are shooting ourselves in the foot with our rebounding, our turnovers and missing free throws," head coach Billy Taylor said. "We got our tails kicked on the glass for the third straight game, we turned it over way too much even against their pressure and we didn't hit free throws in clutch situations tonight."
Sophomore guard Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) saw his first action of the season after missing the first semester for academic reasons. Robinson led the Cardinals with 14 points off the bench in 22 minutes as he hit 3-of-4 from three-point land and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Ball State (6-4) came out of the gate quickly as it opened the game on a quick 8-2 run to force an early MSU timeout. Sophomore forward Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) scored five points in the first four minutes to lead the Cardinals in the early going.
Morehead State (6-7) regrouped and turned up the pressure defensively with the full court press and posted a 20-4 run to take a 22-12 lead. The Eagles forced the Cardinals into 15 first half turnovers with the pressure while Terrance Hill scored six points in the run. Ball State closed the half on a 10-6 run to head into the locker room trailing 28-22. Robinson scored five first half points in his return to the floor, including the Cardinals' lone first half three-pointer.
Ball State connected on just 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from the field and just 1-of-10 (10%) from long range. Morehead State ended the first half hit 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field and 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from long range. The Eagles also mishandled the ball as they committed 14 turnovers in the opening frame.
Morehead State came out of the locker room and posted an 8-3 run to take a 36-25 lead as Marsell Holden and Ty Proffitt hit back-to-back three-pointers. The Cardinals finally started to heat up from the outside as they posted a 15-4 run to pull within one point at 43-42. Ball State hit five straight three-pointers in the run with Robinson connecting on two while Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State), Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) and Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) each tallied one long range shot.
The teams traded baskets until the Cardinals had the ball just over five minutes remaining trailing by one at 45-44. Senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) was fouled at the 4:51 mark with a chance to give the Cardinals their first lead since early in the first half. Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt to keep the Eagles in the lead.
Morehead State responded with a 9-2 run to take a 54-46 lead with 2:25 left in the game. Proffitt hit three free throws to start the run and Milton Chavis scored on consecutive possession to extend the MSU lead. Ball State tried to battle back but Morehead State sank its final 13 free throws of the game, including eight in the last minute to seal the victory.
Ball State finished the game shooting 44.7 percent (17-of-38) from the field and 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from long range, including seven three-pointers in the second half. Scaife added eight points off the bench while senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) scored seven and handed out five assists.
Morehead State connected on 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the field and just 20 percent (4-of-20) from long range on the night but the Eagles were strong from the charity stripe hitting 76.9 percent (20-of-26). Hill led MSU with 12 points while Proffitt added 11 points in the balanced scoring attack that saw 10 different Eagles score in the victory.
The Cardinals will be off for the holidays and return to action New Year's Eve as they host Chicago State. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena and is the first of a men's/women's doubleheader.
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