Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Hosts Eastern Michigan Wednesday
February 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play Wednesday night as it hosts divisional rival Eastern Michigan ... Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena ... The Cardinals enter the week with a 15-11 overall record and a 7-5 mark in MAC play and are tied with Western Michigan for the top spot in the MAC West Division ... Eastern Michigan enters the week with an 8-18 overall record and a 4-8 mark in league play.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast by the Ball State Sports Network with Jerry Peirson and Vince Welch providing the call ... Affiliates for the broadcasts include WIPB-Muncie, WTTV-Indianapolis (4.2), WTTK-Kokomo (29.2), WNDA-Jeffersonville, Hometown Sports-Hamilton County (tape delay), Comcast Channel 83-Indianapolis/Fort Wayne (tape delay) and WJTS 18-Jasper (tape delay) ... Additionally, the game will be broadcast on 104.1 WLBC FM with Morry Mannies and David Eha calling the game.
Schedule Update . . .
The Cardinals' regular season finale will be played Saturday, March 5 against Northern Illinois ... Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Worthen Arena and will be senior day as the Cardinals will honor lone senior Malik Perry prior to the contest.
Series History vs. Eastern Michigan . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 89th meeting all-time between Ball State and Eastern Michigan ... The Cardinals hold a 52-36 advantage in the all-time series but have gone 3-7 against the Eagles in the past 10 games ... Ball State owns a 22-15 record in Muncie against EMU but have dropped two straight at home against the Eagles and four out of the last five meetings at Worthen Arena.
Earlier this season, the Cardinals posted a 60-51 victory over the Eagles in Ypsilanti, Mich. ... Three different Cardinals reached double figures and nine players scored in the victory ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones led the Cardinals with 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half as he battled foul trouble in the first half ... Jones connected on 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 in the opening frame and grabbed eight rebounds ... Ball State's defense was strong throughout the contest as it limited Eastern Michigan to just 31.7 percent (19-of-60) shooting from the field and only 15.0 percent (3-of-20) from long range ... The Cardinals also controlled the glass as they held a 41-32 advantage on the glass ... Senior forward Malik Perry aided the Cardinals' inside attack as he scored seven points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Randy Davis had a strong all-around performance as he scored 11 points, dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds in 29 minutes ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife rounded out the Cardinals' double figure scorers as he added 10 points and four rebounds.
Eastern Michigan was led by Bowdry's game-high 26 points and six rebounds ... He was the only EMU player to score over five points ... He hit 10-of-24 from the field and 2-of-5 from long range in the loss.
Scouting Ball State . . .
Ball State enters the week with a 15-11 overall record and a 7-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals own a 9-3 record at home this season ... Ball State is coming off a 66-61 loss at Wofford Saturday night in the Sears BracketBusters event.
The Cardinals are averaging 67.5 points per game this season and are allowing 63.3 points per game ... Ball State is shooting 44.8 percent (585-of-1307) from the field and 33.6 percent (115-of-342) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 41.8 percent (592-of-1417) from the field and 31.8 percent (154-of-484) from long range.
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game and leads the team on the glass at 8.2 caroms per contest ... Jones is shooting 51.6 percent (148-of-287) from the field ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game and leads the team with 48 three-pointers.
Junior guard Randy Davis rounds out the Cardinals in double figures as he chips in 10.1 points per game ... Davis leads the team with 144 assists and 39 steals while leading the team at the free throw line hitting 87.3 percent (110-of-126) ... Freshman forward Chris Bond chips in 7.6 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest ... Bond leads the team in field goal percentage connecting on 61.9 percent (78-of-126).
Freshman guard Jesse Berry adds 8.0 points per game and is second on the team with 35 three-pointers ... Senior forward Malik Perry is second on the team on the glass at 6.0 rebounds per game.
Scouting Eastern Michigan . . .
Eastern Michigan enters the week with an 8-18 overall record and a 4-8 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Eagles are coming off a 63-60 victory over Jacksonville State in the BracketBusters event.
Eastern Michigan is averaging 62.5 points per game while allowing 65.2 points per game ... The Eagles are shooting 39.3 percent (564-of-1435) from the field and 33.0 percent (181-of-549) from three-point land ... Opponents are shooting 42.3 percent (584-of-1382) from the field and 34.8 percent (143-of-411) from long range.
Senior forward Brandon Bowdry leads the team in scoring at 20.3 points per game and on the glass at 9.5 rebounds per game ... Bowdry is the only Eagle averaging double figures this season ... Derek Thompson is second on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game ... Thompson leads the team with 58 three-pointers and hit the game-winning shot Saturday over Jacksonville State with two seconds remaining in the game ... Darrell Lampley chips in 7.0 points per game and leads the team with 100 assists.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State ran its record to 2-8 all-time in Sears BracketBusters event as the Cardinals suffered a 66-61 loss at Southern Conference foe Wofford ... The Terriers posted 26 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Cardinals rallied from a 10-point first half deficit before gaining the lead with 2:33 left in the contest ... Wofford closed out the game with a 9-4 run to secure the victory ... Four different starters scored in double figures and all five starters posted at least eight points in the loss ... The Cardinals only received six points off the bench in the loss.
Junior forward Jarrod Jones battled back from injury to lead the team with 13 points and five rebounds ... Junior Randy Davis and sophomore Jauwan Scaife each chipped in 12 points while freshman forward Chris Bond added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Wofford was led by reigning SoCon Conference Player of the Year Noah Dahlman who scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds ... Tim Johnson posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
15 Wins & Counting . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 15-11 overall record marking the third straight season of at least 14 wins and the second straight year reaching 15 wins (15-15 in 2009-10) ... The 15 wins are the most for the Cardinals since winning 15 in 2004-05 ... Ball State has not won over 15 games in a season since posting a 23-12 record in 2001-02.
MAC Tournament . . .
The 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament begins Tuesday, March 8 with the first round games at campus sites while the tournament continues in Cleveland, Ohio March 10-12 at the Quicken Loans Arena ... The two division winners and the next two higher ranked teams regardless of division receive first round byes and advance to Cleveland the for the MAC Tournament quarterfinals.
If the season ended today, Ball State would be the number two seed in the tournament as leader in the MAC West Division, edging out WMU due to head-to-head tiebreaker ... The seeds would fall as follows:
1.) Miami (9-3)
2.) Ball State (7-5)
3.) Kent State (8-3)
4.) Akron (7-5)
5.) Buffalo (7-5)
6.) Western Michigan (7-5)
7.) Bowling Green (7-5)
8.) Ohio (6-6)
9.) Central Michigan (5-7)
10.) Eastern Michigan (4-8)
11.) Northern Illinois (3-9)
12.) Toledo (1-11)
Jones Climbs The Charts . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones became the 25th player in Ball State history to reach the 1,000-point scoring mark earlier this season ... Jones is currently 23rd all-time in scoring in BSU history with 1,098 points ... He is four points out of 22nd place in program history trailing Jack Cross (1,102)
Jones has also led the Cardinals in rebounding since he stepped on campus and leads the team once again this year averaging 8.2 rebounds per game ... Jones has grabbed 664 career rebounds which places him ninth all-time in the BSU history ... He just past Wilbur Davis (654) for ninth place all-time and trails Lonnie Jones (678) for eighth place ... Ed Butler (1961-64) holds the Ball State career record with 1,231 rebounds.
Bond, Chris Bond . . .
Freshman forward Chris Bond has been steadily on the rise for the Cardinals as the season progresses ... Bond has moved into the starting lineup the past seven games and his play has jumped once again ... He is averaging 11.3 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game in his seven starts ... During that stretch he is shooting 66.7 percent (34-of-51) from the field ... On the season, he is averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game ... He is shooting 61.9 percent (78-of-126) from the field on the year which ranks second in the Mid-American Conference.
Converting Freebies . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis leads the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage at 87.3 percent as he has converted 110-of-126 from the charity stripe ... Davis currently ranks 28th in the NCAA Division I in free throw percentage, trailing Chris Warren at Mississippi (94.3%) ... His 87.3 percent clip is the second highest in a single season in Ball State history trailing Larry Bullington's 1971-72 mark of 88.2 percent (142-of-161).
Five-Finger Discount . . .
The Cardinals forced Mid-American Conference foe Toledo into 24 turnovers as they notched a season-high 15 steals ... Ball State turned the Rockets' miscues into 26 points off turnovers ... The Cardinals' 15 steals are the most since March 4, 2006 against Eastern Michigan ... The 15 steals are the most for a MAC team this season in conference play.
Freshman forward Chris Bond posted a career-high five steals while guard Jauwan Scaife added a career-high four steals.
Home, Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals have played 284 games all-time at Worthen Arena since it opened January 15, 1992 (previously named University Arena) ... Ball State owns a 206-78 all-time record at Worthen Arena and has won 72.5 percent of its games at home ... The Cardinals have posted an 9-3 record this season at Worthen with wins over Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Mount St. Joseph, North Carolina A&T, SIU Edwardsville, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Buffalo and Toledo ... The Cardinals' 7-0 start to the home season is the best start to a home season since the 2004-05 campaign when the Cardinals opened the year 9-0 at Worthen Arena.
Last season, the Cardinals posted an 11-6 record at home, including a 6-3 mark during non-conference play ... The Cardinals have averaged over 10 wins a season at home at Worthen Arena.
Clutch Down The Stretch . . .
Ball State has gone to the free throw line more than any other team in the Mid-American Conference and that has been evident in the final five minutes of games ... The Cardinals have converted 143-of-184 (77.7%) in the final five minutes of games ... Conversely, opponents have hit just 99-of-146 (67.8%) ... Junior guard Randy Davis has been especially strong from the line in the closing minutes as he is shooting 89.2 percent (66-of-74) while Jauwan Scaife has hit 23-of-27 (85.2%) and junior Jarrod Jones has connected on 23-of-35 (65.7%).
Turning Up The Defense . . .
Ball State continues its defensive dominance under fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor ... The Cardinals are first in the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense (63.3) and three-point defense (.318) while placing fourth in field goal defense (.418) ... Ball State is currently 58th in the NCAA Division I in scoring defense, 106th in field goal percentage defense and 51st in the nation in three-point field goal defense.
Ball State led the MAC in scoring defense last year (62.4), field goal percentage defense (.400) and three-point percentage defense (.312).
Getting To The Line . . .
Ball State ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage connecting on 69.9 percent (469-of-671) ... The Cardinals have been to the line 671 times this season, the most in the MAC and 86 more than second place Ohio (585) ... Ball State goes to the free throw line 25.8 times per game this season, which also leads the MAC ... The Cardinals 25.8 free throw attempts per game ranks 17th in all of the NCAA Division I this season.
In MAC play, the Cardinals have connected on 214-of-295 from the line (72.5%) ... The Cardinals' 295 free throws rank first with Northern Illinois second in the league with 265 free throws attempted.
Comparing W's vs. L's . . .
Ball State has won 15 games this season by an average of 15.9 points per game while its 11 losses have been by an average of 11.3 points per game ... In the 15 wins, Ball State has four different players averaging double figures in Jarrod Jones (15.9), Jauwan Scaife (13.5), Randy Davis (11.1) and Jesse Berry (10.0) ... In its losses, BSU only has one player averaging double figures in Jones at 13.5 points per game ... Scaife is the next highest scorer at 9.2 points per game.
W's -- L's
Scoring Off. 73.9 -- 58.6
Scoring Def. 58.5 -- 69.9
Field Goal % .485 -- .399
Field Goal % Def. .390 -- .456
3-Pt Field Goal % .350 -- .316
3-Pt Field Goal % Def. .280 -- .361
Rebounding Off. 35.4 -- 32.5
Rebounding Def. 31.7 -- 33.8
Assists Per Game 15.2 -- 11.8
Turnover Margin +2.4 -- -2.0
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.1 -- 0.9
Steals/Game 7.6 -- 4.3
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Ball State are in the top three in five different Mid-American Conference team statistical categories ... The Cardinals lead the league in scoring defense (63.3) ... Ball State places second in field goal percentage (.448), three-point field goal defense (.318) and rebounding defense (32.6) ... The Cardinals also rank third in the MAC rebounding margin (+1.6).
Ball State has three players ranked in the top 30 in scoring in the MAC with junior forward Jarrod Jones leading the way ranking eighth in the league (14.6) ... Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife is 20th (11.7) and junior guard Randy Davis is 27th (10.1).
Davis leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.873) and is second in the MAC in assists at 5.54 per game ... He is also fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.82) and seventh in steals (1.50) ... Freshman Chris Bond is second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 61.9 percent.
Scaife is third in the MAC in free throw percentage at .833, ninth in three-point percentage at .400 and 12th in three-pointers made at 1.85 per game ... Jones is second in the MAC in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game and eighth in field goal percentage at .516.
MAC Weekly Honors . . .
Ball State has earned three Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors this season ... Junior forward Jarrod Jones was named Jan.10 and Dec. 13 while classmate Randy Davis picked up the accolades Jan. 24
Jones has also earned two MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors this season ... He owns a 3.291 GPA in telecommunications and picked up the weekly honors for all sports the weeks of Dec. 6-12 and Dec. 27-Jan. 2
Double Trouble . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones leads the Cardinals with eight double-doubles on the season ... Jones has tallied double dips against Eastern Illinois (twice), Indiana State, Alaska-Anchorage, DePaul, SIU Edwardsville, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Bowling Green ... He is second in the Mid-American Conference behind Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry (12) and is 29th in the NCAA Division I ... Jones has posted 19 double-doubles in his career.
Junior guard Randy Davis posted his first career double-double with an 11-point, 11-assist effort against Southern Utah ... Davis becomes the first Cardinal to post a point/assist double-double since 2006 when Maurice Acker posted 15 points and 10 rebounds at Buffalo (1/18/06).
Senior Malik Perry posted his first career double-double against Bowling Green with 10 points and 11 rebounds ... Perry combined with Jones for the Cardinals' first multiple double-double game since November 18, 2008 ... That day, Jones and Anthony Newell each recorded double-doubles against Butler.
Freshman forward Chris Bond became the fourth different Cardinal this season to post a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Toledo ... The Cardinals are one of just two teams in the MAC that has had four players double dip this season (Central Michigan).
Lending A Helping Hand . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis has tallied 144 assists this season and has only committed 79 turnovers ... His 144 assists are second in the Mid-American Conference this season ... He currently ranks 29th in the NCAA in assists per game at 5.5 and his assist/turnover ratio is 139th in the country (1.82)
He handed out a game-high eight assists against Eastern Illinois ... He followed that up with a nine-assist effort against Indiana State ... He also dished out nine helpers against St. John's in the Great Alaska Shootout before setting a career-high with 11 assists against Southern Utah ... He reached nine assists for the third time this year against Mount St. Joseph ... He posted his fourth nine-assist game of the year against Toledo.
BSU MAC West Favorites . . .
Ball State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference West Division according to the preseason poll conducted by members of the MAC Media News Association ... The Cardinals are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor and are preseason favorites to claim the MAC West Division for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
The Cardinals received 124 total votes, including 12 first place votes, to out-distance second place pick Central Michigan by two votes (122, 8) ... In the East Division, Ohio has been selected as the preseason favorite with 128 total votes and 12 first place selections ... The Bobcats have also been selected to win the 2011 MAC Tournament with 10 of 24 votes.
Last year in MAC play, the Cardinals posted an 8-8 overall record ... Guard Randy Davis had a breakout MAC campaign last year as he led the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game while handing out 55 assists ... He connected on 48.4 percent (31-of-64) from three-point land and 83.6 percent (56-of-67) from the free throw line against conference foes ... Forward Jarrod Jones averaged 10.2 points per game and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest in MAC play ... Guard Jauwan Scaife chipped in 10.2 points per game and hit 24-of-65 (36.9%) from long range.
Davis: Cousy Award Candidate . . .
Junior guard Randy Davis has been named one of 66 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. ... The annual award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes college basketball's top point guard ... This original list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 in January, the final 10 by February 3 and final five by March 3.
Jones Earns MAC Honors . . .
Junior forward Jarrod Jones was selected as preseason All-Mid-American Conference West Division by the league's head coaches ... Jones earned All-MAC and All-Region accolades last year as he led the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game and rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per contest ... He has led the Cardinals in scoring and rebounding since he stepped on campus after being named MAC Freshman of the Year in the 2008-09 season.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State hits the road for its final two regular season road games beginning with Saturday's contest at Central Michigan ... The Cardinals will travel to Western Michigan next Wednesday night.
