Ball State University
4-2
UT Martin
2-7
Second Half Surge Leads Men's Hoops Past UT Martin
December 03, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Ball State men's basketball team opened the second half on a 26-6 run and never looked back as the Cardinals defeated Tennessee-Martin 71-48 Saturday afternoon as the Elam Center. The victory is the fourth in a row for the Cardinals who improve to 4-2 on the season.
Ball State shot 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the field in the second half and hit 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from three-point land. The Cardinals dished out 16 assists on their 18 field goals in the second half as they out-scored UTM 46-30.
The Ball State defense limited the Skyhawks to a season-low 48 points, which is the lowest total for a BSU opponent since SIU Edwardsville scored 46 points last season. The Cardinals held UTM to just 33.9 percent (19-of-56) shooting from the field and 20 percent (4-of-20) from three-point land in the 23-point victory.
Senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) paced a Cardinals' attack that saw five different players score at least eight points. Jones posted a game-high 22 points while grabbing seven rebounds as he was 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) added 15 points in just 23 minutes off the bench as he was 6-of-11 from the field.
The Cardinals and Skyhawks battled back and forth for most of the first half with UTM holding an early 11-8 lead. Ball State responded to the slow start by posting a 10-2 run to take an 18-13 lead. The Cardinals used back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) and senior Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) to take the lead.
Tennessee Martin responded with five straight points to tie the game at 18-18 but the Cardinals' defense stepped up and held UTM scoreless over the final 4:49 of the first half as Ball State posted a 7-0 run to end the half. Scaife got the Cardinals' first basket in the spurt while Jones scored five straight, including an old-fashioned three-point play.
Ball State connected on just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field and just 25 percent (3-of-12) from long range. Jones led all scorers with nine first half points while Scaife and Berry each chipped in five points off the bench. Tennessee Martin was limited to just 25.8 percent (8-of-31) shooting from the field in the first half and just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from long range.
Ball State broke the game open to start the second half as it posted a 26-6 run to take a 54-24 lead with 9:29 left in the game. Jones got the half going as he scored seven early points, including hitting his fourth three-pointer of the year. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State) took over next as he scored eight quick points, including a pair of three-pointers, before Berry capped the run by scoring 10 points in a six-minute span.
The Cardinals' defense also limited the Skyhawks to just 2-of-8 shooting in the first 10 minutes of the half and forced them into seven turnovers during the stretch as Ball State ran its lead to 30 points.
Davis finished the game with 10 points and six assists without committing a turnover. Koch had a strong all-around game as he finished with eight points, five assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes of play while Scaife added eight points off the bench. Senior guard Pierre Sneed (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) was strong off the bench as well as he posted five steals, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
Tennessee-Martin (2-7) was led by Troy King who scored 16 points off the bench and was the only Skyhawk player in double figures.
Ball State continues its two-game road swing Tuesday evening as it travels to SIU Edwardsville. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. (ET).
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