Ball State University
17-11, 9-5MAC
Central Michigan
9-19, 6-8MAC
Men's Hoops Comes Back From 23 Down At CMU
February 26, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Ball State men's basketball team turned in one of the most improbable comebacks in program history Saturday night as the Cardinals rallied from a 23-point second half deficit to defeat Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan 65-58 at McQuirk Arena. The victory raises the Cardinals' record to 17-11 on the season and 9-5 in MAC play as they sit in sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division.
"What can you say about tonight," head coach Billy Taylor said. "Down 23 points in the second half and then to have a 30-point turnaround over the final 17 minutes of the game, I have to give credit to the guys for making it happen. I certainly have never been part of this big of a turnaround in such a small timeframe. I am so proud of our guys for what they were able to accomplish tonight."
The Cardinals out-scored Central Michigan 46-24 in the second half, including a 46-16 run over the final 17:40 of the game. Ball State shot a blistering 76.2 percent (16-of-21) from the field in the second half and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from long range to aid the monstrous comeback. The Cardinals posted a 19-6 rebounding edge in the second half and only committed three turnovers in the comeback.
"I give a lot of the credit tonight to Zach Fields," Taylor said. "It may not show up in the stat sheet but he had as big an impact on the game as anyone. His energy on the bench challenging his teammates in the second half and his intensity in the game sparking the first group of guys that began the comeback was invaluable to us."
Freshman guard Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) led the comeback as he had a phenomenal second half performance scoring 17 points off the bench. Berry connected on 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point land to spark the attack as he was one of four Cardinals in double figures.
Junior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) shook off a tough first half due to foul trouble and added 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half. Davis scored eight points in the final 3:30 of the game to secure the victory as he nailed two straight three-pointers in the clutch. Freshman guard Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman) added 11 points and six assists off the bench as he shot 3-of-4 from the field and 5-of-8 from the charity stripe.
The Cardinals' 17 victories are the most under Taylor's tenure and the most for BSU since posting a 23-12 record in 2001-02. Ball State's nine MAC wins are its most since posting a 10-8 record in 2004-05.
Central Michigan (9-19, 6-8 MAC) came out of the gate firing on all cylinders as the Chippewas opened to an early 12-5 lead as Derek Jackson hit two early three-pointers. Sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) stemmed the tide momentarily as he nailed a three-pointer from the wing to cut it to a 12-8 deficit.
The Chippewas responded with eight straight points to take a 20-8 lead and force the Cardinals into a timeout. Trey Zeigler scored four points during the run as CMU took advantage of a couple of BSU turnovers. Central Michigan continued to add to its lead down the stretch of the first half as it went into the locker room with a 34-19 advantage.
Ball State struggled in the first half offensively as it connected on just 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from the field and just 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from three-point land. The Cardinals committed eight first half turnovers in which CMU turned into nine points. Ball State also was out-rebounded by an 18-12 margin, including allowing eight offensive rebounds.
Central Michigan conversely connected on 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from long range. Jackson led the Chippewas with 13 points in the first half as he hit 5-of-6 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
The Chippewas opened the second half by scoring the first eight points to take a 42-19 lead at the 17:40 mark. Zeigler scored three points and Jalin Thomas nailed a three-pointer to force the Cardinals into a timeout.
Ball State finally found a spark after a double technical foul as it posted a 12-0 run to narrow the deficit to 42-31. Berry was the catalyst in the run as he scored eight of the 12 points, including an old-fashioned three-point play.
The Cardinals continued to claw back into the contest as they posted a 17-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 50-49. Berry once again got the Cardinals going as he scored eight points in the run, including a deep three-point and an old-fashioned three-point play. Robinson and junior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) each scored four points in the run.
Ball State continued its offensive explosion as it posted a 9-2 run to take a 59-53 lead with 2:07 left in the game. Davis scored five straight points in the run with a long three-pointer coming after a scramble under the basket with Jones finding him at the top of the arc.
The Chippewas had one last gasp as Jackson came down and hit a three-pointer to trim the BSU lead to 59-56 with 1:49 left. The Cardinals did not wilt though as Davis calmly nailed a deep three-pointer off a screen to run the lead back to six at 62-56.
Central Michigan tried to lengthen the game by going to the free throw line but the Chippewas hit just 2-of-4 in the final minute. The Cardinals ended any doubt in the closing seconds as they broke the full court pressure from Central Michigan and Jones sent down a thunderous dunk for the game's final points.
Ball State finished the game shooting 55.0 percent (22-of-40) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three-point land. The Cardinals also ended the night with a 31-24 advantage on the glass and finished with just 11 turnovers.
Jones rounded out the Cardinals in double figures as he added 11 points and seven rebounds. He connected on 5-of-10 from the field as Ball State out-scored the Chippewas 32-22 in the paint. Freshman forward Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) was held scoreless for the first time in nine starts but he led the Cardinals with eight rebounds, including six second half defensive boards.
Central Michigan ended the night shooting 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from the field and 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from three-point land. The Chippewas were held to just six second half field goals and only handed out seven assists on the night. Jackson finished the game with 16 points, only three in the second half, while Zeigler added 16 points on just 3-of-12 shooting.
The Cardinals wrap up the road portion of the 2010-11 regular season Wednesday night as they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a meeting with rival Western Michigan. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at University Arena.
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