Wednesday, December 7
Charleston, Ill.
8 p.m. ET
Ball State University
at
Eastern Illinois
Photo by: Chad Smith
Cardinals Return to the Road for Matchup with Panthers
December 06, 2022 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team is back on the road for a contest with Eastern Illinois on Wednesday. The Cardinals and Panthers are scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET tip. BSU enters Wednesday with a 4-4 record, while EIU holds a 2-7 mark.
Last Time Out
Ball State is coming off a heartbreaker against Duquesne, after a last-second 3-pointer that gave the Dukes a 78-77 win. Ball State finished with five players in double figures for the third time this season. Jaylin Sellers posted a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He brought down three rebounds and added one steal. Sellers played stout defense against Dae Dae Grant, who finished with just 11 points, despite averaging 20.1 points per game. Demarius Jacobs notched 12 points with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Jarron Coleman added 11 points with a game-high five assists to go along with his five rebounds and one steal. Jalen Windham produced 11 points with a game-high two steals and one assist. Payton Sparks collected his third double-double of the season behind 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sparks added four assists.
Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 14.8 points per game and has a team-best 8.4 rebounds per contest. He leads the team shooting 60.6 percent from the field, which is 43rd in the NCAA and best in the MAC. He is tied for 37th in the nation with 3.38 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference. His 8.4 boards per game is third in the MAC and is tied for 70th in the NCAA. Sparks has recorded three double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 28th in the country and second in the conference. Sparks is second on the team with seven blocks to go along with his 21 assists and five steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points after eight games of the season. Coleman is second on the squad in scoring and rebounding with 14.8 points per contest and 5.4 boards per game. He is also second on the team with 24 assists and 13 steals. Coleman has added five blocks. Sellers is third on the team with 12.7 points per game. He is shooting 52.6 percent from 3-point range. Sellers has brought down 4.4 rebounds a game to go along with his four steals and three assists. Jacobs closes out the double-digit scorers with 12.5 points a contest. He paces the team with 25 assists and has a team-high 15 steals. Jacobs is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game. Windham is just outside of double figures with 9.9 points a game and is shooting 42.9 percent from long range. He has added 13 assists, 12 steals, and one blocked shot.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 25.0 free throws per game, which is 14th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 17.0 free-throws made per contest, which is 20th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for 11th in the nation with 63 free-throw attempts, which leads the MAC.
Block Party
Ball State continues to be strong on the defensive end of the court. As a unit, the Cardinals lead the MAC with 4.1 blocks per game. Jacobs is tied for 66th in the nation and leads the MAC with 13 blocks. His 1.62 blocks per game is tied for 67th in the country and leads the conference.
Series History with the Panthers
Wednesday will mark the 24th meeting between Ball State an Eastern Illinois. The Cardinals are 18-5 against the Panthers. BSU is 6-4 in games played at EIU. Ball State has won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including a 75-55 victory last season in Muncie.
Scouting Eastern Illinois
Kinyon Hodges is the lone player in double figures for the Panthers with 11.1 points per game. He is second on the team with 21 assists and in rebounds with 4.5 a contest. He has added nine steals and one block. Nick Ellington leads EIU with 4.7 rebounds per game and is tied for the team lead in blocks with six. Yaakema Rose is the second leading scorer for the Panthers with 9.7 points per contest and leads the team with 25 assists. Sincere Malone has a team-best 22 steals.
Tale of the Tape
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network on Woof Boom stations 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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Last Time Out
Ball State is coming off a heartbreaker against Duquesne, after a last-second 3-pointer that gave the Dukes a 78-77 win. Ball State finished with five players in double figures for the third time this season. Jaylin Sellers posted a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He brought down three rebounds and added one steal. Sellers played stout defense against Dae Dae Grant, who finished with just 11 points, despite averaging 20.1 points per game. Demarius Jacobs notched 12 points with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Jarron Coleman added 11 points with a game-high five assists to go along with his five rebounds and one steal. Jalen Windham produced 11 points with a game-high two steals and one assist. Payton Sparks collected his third double-double of the season behind 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sparks added four assists.
Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 14.8 points per game and has a team-best 8.4 rebounds per contest. He leads the team shooting 60.6 percent from the field, which is 43rd in the NCAA and best in the MAC. He is tied for 37th in the nation with 3.38 offensive rebounds per game, which is third in the conference. His 8.4 boards per game is third in the MAC and is tied for 70th in the NCAA. Sparks has recorded three double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 28th in the country and second in the conference. Sparks is second on the team with seven blocks to go along with his 21 assists and five steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points after eight games of the season. Coleman is second on the squad in scoring and rebounding with 14.8 points per contest and 5.4 boards per game. He is also second on the team with 24 assists and 13 steals. Coleman has added five blocks. Sellers is third on the team with 12.7 points per game. He is shooting 52.6 percent from 3-point range. Sellers has brought down 4.4 rebounds a game to go along with his four steals and three assists. Jacobs closes out the double-digit scorers with 12.5 points a contest. He paces the team with 25 assists and has a team-high 15 steals. Jacobs is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game. Windham is just outside of double figures with 9.9 points a game and is shooting 42.9 percent from long range. He has added 13 assists, 12 steals, and one blocked shot.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 25.0 free throws per game, which is 14th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 17.0 free-throws made per contest, which is 20th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for 11th in the nation with 63 free-throw attempts, which leads the MAC.
Block Party
Ball State continues to be strong on the defensive end of the court. As a unit, the Cardinals lead the MAC with 4.1 blocks per game. Jacobs is tied for 66th in the nation and leads the MAC with 13 blocks. His 1.62 blocks per game is tied for 67th in the country and leads the conference.
Series History with the Panthers
Wednesday will mark the 24th meeting between Ball State an Eastern Illinois. The Cardinals are 18-5 against the Panthers. BSU is 6-4 in games played at EIU. Ball State has won 12 of the last 13 meetings, including a 75-55 victory last season in Muncie.
Scouting Eastern Illinois
Kinyon Hodges is the lone player in double figures for the Panthers with 11.1 points per game. He is second on the team with 21 assists and in rebounds with 4.5 a contest. He has added nine steals and one block. Nick Ellington leads EIU with 4.7 rebounds per game and is tied for the team lead in blocks with six. Yaakema Rose is the second leading scorer for the Panthers with 9.7 points per contest and leads the team with 25 assists. Sincere Malone has a team-best 22 steals.
Tale of the Tape
| BSU | Category | EIU |
| 77.4 | POINTS PER GAME | 66.6 |
| 67.8 | OPP. POINTS PER GAME | 66.7 |
| .491 | FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .401 |
| .427 | OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .402 |
| .371 | 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .278 |
| .371 | OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE | .341 |
| .680 | FREE THROW PERCENTAGE | .592 |
| 35.8 | REBOUNDS PER GAME | 36.0 |
| 4.2 | REBOUNDING MARGIN | -5.8 |
| 13.5 | ASSISTS PER GAME | 13.3 |
| 13.0 | TURNOVERS PER GAME | 13.7 |
| 0.9 | TURNOVER MARGIN | 4.7 |
| 7.4 | STEALS PER GAME | 9.7 |
| 4.1 | BLOCKS PER GAME | 3.0 |
All of BSU's games are presented on the Ball State Gainbridge Radio Network on Woof Boom stations 96.7 FM, 102.9 FM, 104.9 FM, WLBC HD2, and the stream of 967BlakeFM.com as well as WERKFM.net.
For general and season ticket information, please click here or call 1-888-BSU-TICKET (756-285-1474).
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