Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
11-5, 3-1MAC
Central Michigan
7-10, 2-2MAC
Men?s Hoops Rolls Past Central Michigan, 73-52
January 18, 2012 | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Behind career-high efforts from sophomores Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) and Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State), the Ball State men's basketball team posted a 73-52 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan Wednesday evening at McGuirk Arena. The victory keeps the Cardinals in first place in the MAC with a 3-1 league record, tied with Eastern Michigan and Akron.
"Our practice the past two days really set the tone for what we saw tonight," head coach Billy Taylor said. "Our guys really competed hard the past two days and they carried that intensity over to the game. We got back to the things that are important to us tonight - defending the way we come to expect for the program and rebounding the basketball with authority. We won both of those areas today and that allowed us to get out in transition for some easy points."
Robinson, who previous career-high was 14 points (at Morehead State), set a new career mark just 13:19 into the game as he scored 15 of the Cardinals' first 26 points on his way to a game-high 20 points in 26 minutes of action. He connected on 8-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point land.
Koch notched his new career mark with 17 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes of play, surpassing his previous high of 14 points (vs. Calumet). He connected on 7-of-10 from the field, including three three-pointers, while also tying for the team lead on the glass. His effort helped the Cardinals out-rebound the Chippewas 40-24 in the victory.
Ball State connected on 54.2 percent (26-of-48) from the field in the victory and hit 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from three-point land. The Cardinals dished out 18 assists on their 26 baskets with senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) leading the way with a game-high 10 assists.
Ball State, the top-rated defense in the MAC, limited the Chippewas to just 33.9 percent (19-of-56) shooting from the field and just 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from long range. Central Michigan only recorded four assists on the night.
Robinson came out of the gate on fire as he scored the 10 of the Cardinals' first 12 points, including the first eight to open the game. The Cardinals held an early 10-9 lead before breaking the half open with a dominant 16-3 run to take a 26-12 lead with 6:41 left.
The Cardinals started to hit from the outside during the run as Davis and junior Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) hit back-to-back three-pointers. Koch added the Cardinals' third triple of the run while Robinson continued his dominant play with seven more points, including an old-fashioned three-point play to cap the spurt.
Ball State (11-5, 3-1 MAC) closed out the half on a 9-3 run to take a 38-22 lead into the locker room. Koch scored five points in the stretch and the Cardinals hit four free throws in the final five minutes while limiting the Chippewas to just a three-pointer from Olivier Mbaigoto.
Ball State connected on 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three-point land in the first half. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Chippewas by a 20-13 margin and dished out 10 first half assists. Robinson led all scorers with 15 points in 16 minutes as he was 6-of-7 from the field for a new career-high in scoring.
Central Michigan (7-10, 2-2 MAC) was limited to just 32.0 percent (8-of-25) shooting in the first half and just 27.3 percent (3-of-11) from long range. Austin McBroom led the Chippewas with five points while Mbaigoto also added five points.
Ball State dominated play in the second half as it maintained its double-digit lead and led by as many as 25 points in the second half. The Cardinals never allowed Central Michigan closer than 15 points in the second half as they hit 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from the field and limited the Chippewas to just 35.5 percent (11-of-31).
Davis finished the game with seven points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in 28 minutes of action as the Cardinals had six players with at least six points in the victory. Sophomore Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson) added 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench as he was 4-of-5 from the field. Sophomore Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy) added eight points and four rebounds for the Cardinals.
Central Michigan was led by McBroom who scored 16 points, including three three-pointers. Mbaigoto and Derek Jackson each added seven points while Trey Zeigler was held to six points and seven rebounds.
The Cardinals continue their two-game road swing Saturday night as they take on the Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb. The game is set for an 8 p.m. (ET) tip-off and will be broadcast on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN).
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