Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Turns Page to Grambling State
November 23, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Ball State vs. Grambling State
Monday, Nov. 24; 7 p.m.
Worthen Arena (Muncie, Ind.)
TV: Ball State Sports Link
Steamed on ballstatesports.com; available on campus on channel 57
Radio: 104.1 WLBC
There were plenty of silver linings in Saturday's deflating overtime loss for the Ball State men's basketball team at IUPUI.
Matt Kamieniecki looked like his old, healthy self, going after every ball with reckless abandon to the tune of 15 rebounds. Sean Sellers continued his hot start with another 20-plus scoring performance. And the Cardinals dominated the glass for a second straight game.
But perhaps the biggest silver lining was the fact that there was literally no time for the Cardinals (1-2) to dwell on their disappointment.
With just one day in between games, Ball State quickly turned the page to Monday's home contest with Grambling State. The Cardinals will host the Tigers for the second time in three seasons as they play their final game before Thanksgiving.
Grambling State (1-2) is in the middle of a three-game swing through the state of Indiana that started Wednesday at Purdue and concludes later this week at Notre Dame. The Tigers suffered an 82-30 loss in their trip to West Lafayette.
Sellers and Jeremie Tyler have led a youth movement for Ball State in the scoring column this season, combining for nearly 47 percent of the team's points. Sellers finds himself at the top of the MAC in scoring at 22.0 points per game so far.
Ball State has won its only two previous meetings with Grambling State, including a 78-51 victory two years ago in the season opener in Muncie.
After playing two games in three days, the Cardinals will get an eight-day break before returning to action Dec. 3 at Eastern Illinois.
The Lone Senior
• Matt Kamieniecki posted a double-double Saturday at IUPUI with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to raise his season averages to 9.0 points and 7.7 boards per game.
• Kamieniecki has returned to the lineup after missing the entire 2013-14 season with a wrist injury.
• He is a fifth-year senior and the only senior on the Cardinals' roster
Stepping into Bigger Roles
• Walk-ons Rocco Belcaster and Kaleb Mallory have given the Cardinals key production this season.
• Belcaster, who made his first career start against IU Kokomo, is averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds. He has set a new career high for scoring in each game this season, including his seven-point performance Saturday at IUPUI.
• Mallory, a Muncie Central High School product, is averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 assists per game in his role as a backup point guard. He made his first career start Saturday at IUPUI.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's basketball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateMBB and @coachjwhit on Twitter.
