Men’s Hoops Welcomes IUPUI Saturday

Saturday, December 3

Muncie, Ind.

2:00 PM ET

Ball State University

IUPUI

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

December 02, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Cardinals are MAC’s top shooting team through seven games

Game 8
Ball State (4-3, 0-0 MAC) vs. IUPUI (2-5, 0-0 Summit)
Saturday, Dec. 3 (2 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch (ESPN3) | Listen (WLBC) | Live Stats

A Look at the Cardinals
• Ball State will play the second game in a six-game homestand Saturday when it hosts IUPUI for the second straight year at Worthen Arena. The three-day break leading into the game matches the longest stretch without a game for the Cardinals during a busy opening month.

• The Cardinals are coming off a 92-52 win Tuesday over NAIA opponent IU Kokomo. The team reached the 30-assist mark for the seventh time in program history, logging 30 assists on 35 made baskets, and came within two of the school record with 16 made 3-pointers. Ryan Weber (24 points), Francis Kiapway (18) and Tahjai Teague (18) all scored season highs.

• Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent. The Cardinals shot 53 percent in Tuesday's victory over IU Kokomo, topping the 50 percent mark for the third straight game and the fourth time in seven contests this season. The team is shooting 52.6 percent (92 for 175) over the past three games.

• Junior guard Francis Kiapway has heated up over the past two games. A 40 percent 3-point shooter for his career, Kiapway made only 3 of his first 21 attempts from deep this season. But he has made 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) over the past two games.

• Sophomore point guard Tayler Persons had 14 assists Tuesday against IU Kokomo, marking the fourth-most in a game in program history. It was the second double-digit assist performance in the past four games for Persons, who is averaging 8.8 per game over that stretch.

• Ball State has utilized the same starting lineup in all seven games with PG Tayler Persons, SG Francis Kiapway, SF Sean Sellers, PF Franko House and C Trey Moses.

Weber, Kiapway Break Out
• After slow starts to the season offensively, senior guard Ryan Weber and junior guard Francis Kiapway have busted out over the past two games.
• Weber is averaging 19.5 points over the past two contests and shooting 60.9 percent from the floor (14 of 23).
• Kiapway is averaging 16.5 points over that span and shooting 54.5 percent (12 of 22).

Big-Time Assist Number
• Tayler Persons'14-assist performance Nov. 29 against IU Kokomo rates as the fourth-best in program history and the most by a Ball State player since Jamie Matthews against Central Michigan in 1993.
• He had 14 assists is just 24 minutes of action against the Cougars.