Ball State University
5-2
SIU Edwardsville
1-6
Men's Basketball Rolls Past SIUE, 76-55
December 07, 2011 | Men's Basketball
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Behind a career-high 25 points by sophomore guard Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson), the Ball State men's basketball team posted its fifth straight victory with a 76-55 win over SIU Edwardsville Tuesday night at the Vadalabene Center.
Berry scored 25 points in 27 minutes off the bench as he hit 8-of-13 from the field, including four three-pointers, while hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) posted his third double-double of the season as he scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Jones has scored at least 20 points in five of the first seven games this season and leads the team in scoring at 19.9 points per game. He connected on 6-of-8 from the field, including his fifth three-pointer, while hitting 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
"Jesse was really good in the flow of our offense tonight," head coach Billy Taylor said. "He got some early open jump shots and got out in transition to get going tonight. Anytime you have guys clicking from the perimeter, it gives Jarrod more freedom in the paint not only scoring but attacking the offensive glass."
Ball State came out of the gate and opened the game on a 13-2 run as it forced SIU Edwardsville into an early timeout. Junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) scored five early points before Jones added five straight including his fifth three-pointer of the year.
SIUE settled in and narrowed the gap down to five points at 20-15 but the Cardinals maintained the lead throughout the half. Berry took over the game in the final six minutes of the half as he scored 14 of the Cardinals' final 15 points as BSU ended the half on a 9-2 run to take a 38-24 lead into the locker room.
Berry led all first half scorers with 14 points as he was 5-of-7 from the field, including two three-pointers, while also hitting 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. The Cardinals connected on 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the first half, including 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from long range.
SIU Edwardsville connected on just 28 percent (7-of-25) from the field and 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from three-point land in the first half. Michael Messer led the Cougars with eight points as he hit two three-pointers while Jerome Jones also added eight points.
Ball State broke the game open early in the second half with a 13-2 run to take a 51-30 lead with 13:42 left. Jones scored 10 straight points to open the second half and Berry nailed a three-pointer in transition to extend the lead to 21 points.
The Cardinals ended any doubt down the stretch as they posted a 16-2 run to take their largest lead of the night at 69-41. Senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) scored five points in the run while Jones added four and Berry nailed his fourth three-pointer of the night.
Ball State finished the game shooting 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point land. The Cardinals also hit 22-of-29 (75.9%) from the free throw line while also out-rebounding the Cougars by a 38-28 margin.
Davis continued his strong floor game as he dished out nine assists and only committed one turnover. He leads the Mid-American Conference and is fourth in the nation in assists at 7.7 a game, while ranking fifth in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 4.91.
SIUE was held to 35.2 percent (19-of-54) shooting from the field and just 16.7 percent (4-of-24) from three-point land. Jones and Messer led the team with 12 points apiece while Derian Shaffer added 10 points.
The Cardinals return home Saturday afternoon as they host two-time NCAA Tournament finalist Butler. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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