Cardinals Return Home for Matchup with Falcons

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena on Saturday as Bowling Green makes the trip to Muncie. The Cardinals (17-7, 8-3 MAC) and Falcons (10-14, 4-7 MAC) are scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip. Saturday's game is sponsored by Reed's Plumbing.

BSU students, be among the first 500 in The Nest and receive a free hot dog, a slice of pizza, a fountain drink, or a beer. Arrive early, cheer loud, and enjoy responsibly.

Head Coach Michael Lewis is the first, first-year head coach to produce a seven-game winning streak. Ball State started 16-7 overall, which is the best start since the 1999-2000 season. The 17-7 record is the best start since the Cardinals started 1997-98 with a 21-7 record. He is the second coach in BSU history to win the regular season opener and the MAC opener in their first season as a head coach. He joins Rick Majerus in achieving the feat.

Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 65-51 road victory against the Central Michigan Chippewas. For the second-straight game, the Cardinals had five players in double digits. Mickey Pearson Jr. led the Cardinals with 13 points and brought down six rebounds. He posted back-to-back games in double figures. Demarius Jacobs finished in double digits for the second-straight game with 12 points. He added three rebounds, tied for a team-best three assists, and one block. Jaylin Sellers produced his third-straight game in double figures with 12 points. Sellers collected four rebounds and two assists. Payton Sparks recorded a double-double for his second-straight game with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Sparks blocked a game-high two shots to go along with two assists and a steal. Basheer Jihad closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. He collected six rebounds, tied a career high with three steals, and dished out one assist.

Boogie on Down
Jarron Coleman is averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game. He leads the team with 58 made 3-pointers and is shooting 37.4 percent from behind the arc. He is tied for the team lead with 83 assists and leads the squad in steals with 36. Coleman has added 10 blocks. He has compiled five games of 20 or more points. Earlier this season, Coleman recorded his 1,000th career point.

Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.1 points per game. He is shooting 48.1 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is averaging 3.8 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 50.0 on the season. Sellers has collected 20 assists, 16 steals and 12 blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.

Spark Plug
Sparks leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, which is tied for 69th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.08 offensive rebounds per contest have him tied for 38th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 12.4 points per game. He is shooting 60.6 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has seven double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 58th in the country and is third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 46 assists, second on the team with 23 blocks, and has added 12 steals.

Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.1 points a contest. He has a team-high 34 blocks, which is tied for 78th in the NCAA and most in the MAC. His 1.42 blocks per contest is tied for 85th in the nation and first in the conference. He is tied for the team lead in assists with 83 and is second on the team in steals with 32. He is averaging 3.8 boards per contest. Pearson is second on the squad with 5.4 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.5 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.4 percent from the field.

Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 24.8 free throws per game, which is third in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 16.6 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 15th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is tied for seventh in the nation with 179 free-throw attempts, which is first in the MAC. The Cardinals are one of 15 teams in the NCAA that have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted.

Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 47.1 percent from the field, which is tied for 49th in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.5 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 28th in the country and second in the MAC.

Series History with Bowling Green
The Cardinals and Falcons will meet for the 94th time. Bowling Green holds the series advantage 53-40. Ball State has won the last three meetings, including a 69-60 victory in Bowling Green on Jan. 31. The Cardinals are 26-18 at home against the Falcons.

Scouting the Falcons
In the matchup earlier this season, Leon Ayers III led the Falcons with 14 points and three assists. Chandler Turner chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Rashaun Agee went for 11 points, a team-high eight rebounds, and had two steals. Ayers leads Bowling Green with 18.4 points per contest. He is second on the squad with 77 assists and second in steals with 24. He is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game and has eight blocks. Samari Curtis is fifth in the NCAA averaging 91.3 from the free-throw line, which is second in the MAC. Curtis is second on the team with 12.0 points per game. He leads the team with 95 assists to go along with 3.4 boards a contest, 18 steals, and four blocks. Kaden Metheny comes into Saturday averaging 11.0 points a game with a team-high 25 steals. He has brought down 3.0 rebounds per contest with 54 assists. Agee has a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game and is averaging 10.7 points per contest. He leads the team with 30 blocks. He has added 15 assists and 14 steals.

Tale of the Tape

BSU	Category	BGSU
75.5	POINTS PER GAME	76.8
69.0	OPP. POINTS PER GAME	77.5
.471	FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.456
.433	OPP. FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.458
.375	3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.350
.369	OPP. 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE	.350
.671	FREE THROW PERCENTAGE	.740
36.0	REBOUNDS PER GAME	36.3
3.3	REBOUNDING MARGIN	1.3
12.8	ASSISTS PER GAME	14.2
12.5	TURNOVERS PER GAME	12.7
-0.2	TURNOVER MARGIN	-0.7
6.1	STEALS PER GAME	5.9
4.2	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.1

MAC Conference Standings
1. Kent State – 19-5 (9-2)
2. Toledo – 18-6 (9-2)
3. Akron – 17-7 (9-2)
4. Ball State – 17-7 (8-3)
5. Buffalo – 12-12 (6-5)
6. Northern Illinois – 10-14 (6-5)
7. Ohio – 13-11 (5-6)
8. Bowling Green – 10-14 (4-7)
9. Central Michigan – 8-16 (3-8)
10. Eastern Michigan – 6-18 (3-8)
11. Miami – 8-16 (2-9)
12. Western Michigan – 6-18 (2-9)

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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Players Mentioned

Jarron Coleman

Demarius Jacobs

Basheer Jihad

Mickey Pearson Jr.

Jaylin Sellers

Payton Sparks