Ball State University
18-12, 10-6MAC
Northern Illinois
9-20, 5-11MAC
Men's Hoops Secures First Round Bye In MAC Tournament
March 07, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's basketball team jumped out to a 29-6 lead and then cruised to a 67-57 victory over Mid-American Conference West Division rival Northern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals claim the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming 2011 FirstEnergy MAC Tournament at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cardinals will face the winner of No. 5 Ohio/No. 12 Toledo Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. in the final game of quarterfinal action.
Ball State finishes the regular season with an 18-12 (10-6 MAC) record, while the Huskies fall to 9-20 (5-11 MAC) with the loss.
"There is definitely satisfaction going to play in Cleveland this year but we do not want to be satisfied just by going," head coach Billy Taylor said. "We want to go there and make some noise. This is what all the hard work is for in preseason, non-conference and league play. We put ourselves in this position to go and try to have success in Cleveland."
Freshman guard Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) led a trio of Cardinals in double-figures, tying for game-high honors with 17 points. Berry scored 11 straight points, including three three-pointers, in an 18-2 first-half Ball State run which made the score 29-6. He connected on 6-of-12 from the field, including four three-pointers in 29 minutes of action off the bench.
Also finishing in double figures for the Cardinals were sophomore guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) and junior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Scaife hit 6-of-9 from the field with three three-pointers and Jones collected a team-high nine rebounds.
Senior forward Malik Perry (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Lutheran) played in his final game at Worthen Arena and was honored prior to the game in senior day festivities. Perry scored five points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists while posting a block and a steal in 26 minutes of play.
"Malik has meant so much to our program over the past four years," Taylor said. "He has been such an integral part in what we have done the past four years. He has seen the bad and now the good of our program winning 18 games overall, 10 in the MAC and earning a first round bye in the MAC Tournament. I am just so proud of Malik for his leadership and his patience to stay with this program through the ups and down all the while believing in what we can accomplish as a program."
The Cardinals came out of the gate and used the momentum from senior day to open on an 11-1 run over the first four minutes. Scaife sparked the run with an old-fashioned three-point play in transition while capping the run with a three-pointer from the wing.
After Antone Christian hit a three-pointer to make it an 11-4 game, the Cardinals responded with an 18-2 run to extend the lead to 29-6. Berry scored 11 straight points during the run including three straight three-pointers to ignite the crowd. Freshman guard Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) nailed the Cardinals' fourth straight three-pointer to make it a 23-point advantage.
Northern Illinois settled in and responded with a 15-5 run to narrow the BSU lead to 34-21 with 1:49 left in the half and force the Cardinals into a timeout. The Huskies got back-to-back three-pointers from Michael Patton and Christian to cap the spurt.
Ball State headed into the locker room with a 38-23 halftime lead as it connected on 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field and 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from long range. Berry led the Cardinals with 11 first half points while Scaife added 10 points as the two combined for eight field goals and four three-pointers.
Northern Illinois was held to 35.0 percent (7-of-20) shooting in the first half and 4-of-10 (40%) from long range. The Huskies committed 11 first half turnovers in which the Cardinals turned into 16 points. Tim Toler led NIU with nine points while Christian chipped in six points in the opening frame.
The Cardinals came out of the halftime break and quickly ran the lead back to 20 points at 48-28 as it posted an 8-0 run. Jones started the run with a three-point play off a dunk while Berry nailed his fourth three-pointer of the afternoon.
Ball State cruised down the stretch to take home its 18th victory of the season, marking the Cardinals' most wins since the 2001-02 season. Ball State also improved to 11-3 this season at home at Worthen Arena and posted a 9-1 record against teams from the MAC West Division.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the field and 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from three-point land. The Cardinals also only committed seven turnovers in the victory while forcing Northern Illinois into 16 miscues as they posted nine steals. Ball State turned the NIU turnovers into 19 points, including seven on the fast break.
Northern Illinois finished the game shooting 40 percent (22-of-55) from the field and 35 percent (7-of-20) from three-point land. Toller led the Huskies with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds while Tony Nixon added 11 points off the bench.
Ball State returns to action Thursday night as the number four seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament. The Cardinals will play the winner of No. 5 Ohio/No. 12 Toledo at 9:30 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena.
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