Ball State University
13-8; 5-3
Miami (OH)
10-12; 5-3
Men's Hoops Falls To Hot Shooting Miami, 89-75
February 01, 2011 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Ohio - The Ball State men's basketball team suffered its fourth straight loss Tuesday night as the Cardinals dropped an 89-75 contest to Mid-American Conference foe Miami at Millett Hall. The loss drops the Cardinals to 13-8 on the season and 5-3 in MAC play while Miami improves to 10-12 overall and 5-3 in league action.
The RedHawks hit a school-record 16 three-pointers in the victory as they finished the night 16-of-32 from long range. Miami connected on nine of its first 11 three-pointers in the second half as it out-scored the Cardinals 50-29 in the second half. Six different Miami players hit three-pointers with Julian Mavunga and Nick Winbush leading the way with five and four threes, respectively.
Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) led the Cardinals with 22 points in the loss after posting 17 first half points. Scaife connected on 8-of-18 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point land after opening the game hitting six of his first seven from the field.
Mavunga led four Miami players in double figures in the victory as he scored 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists. He connected on 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-7 from long range in the victory. Josh Sewell came off the bench and scored a career-high 20 points in the victory as he was 7-of-9 from the field.
Ball State came out of the gate quickly as Scaife was hitting on all cylinders early as he nailed three three-pointers in the first four minutes to push the Cardinals to an 11-4 lead. Junior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) nailed the Cardinals' fourth straight long ball to run the lead to 14-4.
Ball State continued its offensive onslaught as it boosted its lead to 32-18 with 7:11 left in the half. Scaife was the offensive catalyst in the early going as he scored 17 points while hitting his first five three-pointers and hitting 6-of-7 from the field in the opening 12-plus minutes of action.
Miami slowed the Cardinals' run as Julian Mavunga nearly matched Scaife's first half as he scored 16 points in the opening frame. Mavunga connected on 6-of-8 from the field in the first half, including two three-pointers to pull the RedHawks within five at 44-39. Freshman forward Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) scored on the fast break with 36 seconds left in the half to extend the Cardinals to a 46-39 lead at halftime.
The Cardinals' 46 first half points are the most points scored in a half this season for Ball State and the most since posting 46 second half points against Northern Illinois February 13, 2010. The 46 first half points are the most scored by Ball State in the opening frame since notching 49 first half points against Western Michigan March 5, 2005.
The Cardinals were strong offensively in the first half as they shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the field and 70 percent (7-of-10) from long range. Miami nearly matched the Cardinals' output as it hit 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field and 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from long range.
Miami came out of the locker room and started to heat up from long range as it hit nine of its first 11 three-pointers in the second half. The RedHawks posted a 12-2 run to take a 68-63 lead as they hit five straight long range shots, including back-to-back three-pointers from Winbush.
The Cardinals weathered the storm and posted five straight points to pull within two at 72-70 as junior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) converted a three-point play and Bond scored on an offensive rebound. The Cardinals had a chance on the ensuing possession to tie the game but committed a turnover that allowed Miami to regain the momentum. The RedHawks put the game out of reach as it posted a 15-2 run to extend the lead back to double figures.
Ball State finished the game shooting 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field and just 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point land as it connected on just 1-of-12 in the second half. Conversely, Miami finished the game shooting 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field, including 50 percent (16-of-32) from long range.
Bond scored a career-high 14 points in the loss while also grabbing eight rebounds as he was 6-of-9 from the field in his second career start. Davis chipped in 10 points and handed out eight assists in the loss while Jones ended the night with nine points.
Ball State returns to action Saturday afternoon as it hosts Buffalo. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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