Friday, November 8
Muncie, Ind.
5 PM
Ball State University
1-1,0-0MAC
87
vs
60
Franklin College
0-0,0-0HCAC
1
2
F
Franklin
28
32
60
Ball St.
44
43
87
Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Top Grizzlies in Home Opener
November 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's basketball team rode a balanced offensive attack to pull away from Franklin College and win 87-60 on Friday night at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (1-1) trailed 22-18 about 10 minutes into the game before ending the first half on a 26-6 scoring run to hold a 44-28 edge going into the break. Ball State led by double digits for the remainder of the contest, which was the home team's first at Worthen of the 2024-25 season.
Payton Sparks (17 points, five rebounds, two assists), Jermahri Hill (17 points, three rebounds) and Mickey Pearson Jr. (17 points, eight rebounds) led the Cardinals in scoring, while TJ Burch (13 points) also had double figures. Ben Hendriks went for eight points and seven rebounds, and Joey Hart added six points and five rebounds.
Ten total Cardinals scored on the night.
Franklin's Braden Flanagan had 18 points and helped the Grizzlies stay in the game in the first half, but the hosts dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 47-25 and points in the paint 46-24, to control the contest. The Cardinals also held advantages in second chance points (13-2), fast break points (18-13) and bench points (33-25).
Ball State led for more than 33 minutes in a game that featured three ties and six lead changes. The Cardinals' 13-0 rally from the 6:06 mark to the 0:59 mark of the first half gave them a 44-26 edge.
For the game, Ball State shot 29 of 55 (52.7 percent) from the floor, 4 of 16 (25 percent) on 3-pointers and 25 of 37 (67.6 percent) at the foul line. Franklin hit 36.7 percent (22-60) of its shots including 30 percent (6-20) on 3-pointers while going 71.4 percent (10-14) on free throws.
Up next for the Cardinals is a road game at Dayton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals (1-1) trailed 22-18 about 10 minutes into the game before ending the first half on a 26-6 scoring run to hold a 44-28 edge going into the break. Ball State led by double digits for the remainder of the contest, which was the home team's first at Worthen of the 2024-25 season.
Payton Sparks (17 points, five rebounds, two assists), Jermahri Hill (17 points, three rebounds) and Mickey Pearson Jr. (17 points, eight rebounds) led the Cardinals in scoring, while TJ Burch (13 points) also had double figures. Ben Hendriks went for eight points and seven rebounds, and Joey Hart added six points and five rebounds.
Ten total Cardinals scored on the night.
Franklin's Braden Flanagan had 18 points and helped the Grizzlies stay in the game in the first half, but the hosts dominated the glass, winning the rebounding battle 47-25 and points in the paint 46-24, to control the contest. The Cardinals also held advantages in second chance points (13-2), fast break points (18-13) and bench points (33-25).
Ball State led for more than 33 minutes in a game that featured three ties and six lead changes. The Cardinals' 13-0 rally from the 6:06 mark to the 0:59 mark of the first half gave them a 44-26 edge.
For the game, Ball State shot 29 of 55 (52.7 percent) from the floor, 4 of 16 (25 percent) on 3-pointers and 25 of 37 (67.6 percent) at the foul line. Franklin hit 36.7 percent (22-60) of its shots including 30 percent (6-20) on 3-pointers while going 71.4 percent (10-14) on free throws.
Up next for the Cardinals is a road game at Dayton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Frank
BSU
FG%
.367
.527
3FG%
.300
.250
FT%
.714
.676
RB
25
47
TO
18
19
STL
12
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
9
Players Mentioned
C
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