Ball State Begins 2022 Inside Worthen Arena Against Bowling Green

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team had a delayed start to the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule, but conference play begins on January 1 as Bowling Green makes the trip to Muncie. Saturday's game is sponsored by Meijer and is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.

The Cardinals are 6-2 in conference openers with Head Coach James Whitford at the helm. In MAC openers inside Worthen Arena, Ball State is 3-1 under Coach Whitford.

Last time out, the Cardinals defeated the Panthers 75-55. BSU was led by Payton Sparks with a career-high 16 points, and he added eight rebounds. Miryne Thomas tied a season-best mark with 14 points and had three rebounds, an assist and a steal. Luke Bumbalough finished in double digits for the eighth time this season with a 13-point performance. Bumbalough chipped in with five assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. was the final player in double figures with 10 points. Pearson picked up three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Tyler Cochran was an absolute force on the defensive side of the ball as he produced 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals, all were game highs.

Bumbalough continues to lead Ball State in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Bumbalough also has a team-high 3.4 assists per game. Cochran is the only other Cardinal in double digits with 10.7 points per contest. Sparks has a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game, while Cochran has 5.5 boards per game. Cochran has been a force on the defensive end with 22 steals, while Demarius Jacobs has 10 steals. Thomas paces Ball State with five blocks and Basheer Jihad is second on the team with four.

Ball State enters Saturday with a 37-53 record against Bowling Green. The Falcons have won two of the last three meetings, including a 75-62 victory in Bowling Green on February 16, 2021. Despite the lopsided record, the good news is the Cardinals are 25-18 in games played in Muncie.

Daeqwon Plowden leads Bowling Green in scoring with 15.4 points per game and in rebounding with 7.3 per contest. Joe Reece is second on the team with 11.6 points per game and second on the squad with 6.8 rebounds per game. Reece is tied for the team lead in steals with 13 with Kaden Metheny. Samari Curtis has a team-high 31 assists.

All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network as well as Woof Boom Radio's 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	BGSU
74.4	POINTS PER GAME	84.0
77.9	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	72.4
.441	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.438
.461	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.401
.383	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.348
.380	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.322
.662	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.752
34.7	REBOUNDS PER GAME	44.2
-2.0	REBOUNDING MARGIN	6.1
14.1	ASSISTS PER GAME	13.5
14.1	TURNOVERS PER GAME	13.4
-1.1	TURNOVER MARGIN	1.9
6.7	STEALS PER GAME	8.2
1.8	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.9

Save the dates for Ball State Basketball's "Take a Kid to a Game" days at Worthen Arena. With one paid adult ticket purchased, two kids 13-and-under will receive a complimentary ticket. That offer is available for the following home men's basketball game: Saturday, Jan. 1, men's basketball vs. Bowling Green at 6 p.m.

In addition to "Take a Kid to a Game", join the movement inside Worthen Arena and enjoy three or more games at a special price! Starting at just $27 for three men's games and $21 for three women's games or mix and match! Click here for more details.

As a reminder to all fans, face coverings are required while inside Worthen Arena. Fans in attendance on Saturday can visit the upper level above Gate 1 for face painting and games.

Follow the Cardinals
Twitter
Instagram

*For tickets call 1-888-BSU-TICKET or 765-285-1474, or click here.

Ball State Begins 2022 Inside Worthen Arena Against Bowling Green

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Bumbalough

Tyler Cochran

Demarius Jacobs

Basheer Jihad

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Payton Sparks

Miryne Thomas