BasketBall State: Ball State had every reason to lose to Ohio

3/11/11 3:15 AM

Ball State nearly had every reason to lose Thursday night’s game against Ohio in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The crowd at Quicken Loans Arena was pro-Ohio, Ball State had lost two straight games to Ohio which included a defeat in last season’s MAC Tournament and Ball State had gone 1-5 against the MAC East this season. Down 65-56 with 2:42 seconds to play in the game and only five second half field goals, the Cardinal’s season looked to be over. But after a three-point play by freshman guard Chris Bond, a 3-pointer by junior guard Randy Davis and another three-point play by Bond, Ball State found itself tied with 36 seconds to play. Ohio’s D.J. Cooper got a good shot attempt in the final seconds, and after poor pass by junior...

BasketBall State: 5 thoughts on Ball State vs. Western Michigan

1/13/11 1:01 AM

1. During the second half, Ball State’s lead was never bigger than 13 and never smaller than six. The Cardinals managed to hold off the Broncos just enough, but the win never felt completely assured until Jarrod Jones’ dunk with 22 seconds left. Ball State has been letting teams stay within shouting distance all season. It’s worked out so far in a pair of Mid-American Conference wins and a victory over Eastern Illinois on Dec. 8. It has cost them as well — most notably, the overtime loss to St. John’s at the Great Alaska Shootout. If Ball State can get to a comfortable lead again Saturday when it faces Central Michigan, it would be nice to see the team push an eight- to 10-post lead to 15 or 20. Put the game out of reach so there can be no last-minute...

Ball State gives up paint advantage to Missouri

12/1/10 11:37 PM

Prior to its 56-45 loss to Missouri, Ball State coach Kelly Packard stressed the importance of better defense near the basket. Despite focusing their defense on the Tigers’ frontcourt players, the Cardinals allowed 36 points inside the paint. Packard said her team struggled under the basket the entire game, and her team’s struggles can be attributed to practice. “We’ve struggled in practice right now,” Packard said. “Even clean looks that we are getting in the paint.” Packard said the size of Missouri limited the Cardinals ability to open up the floor. “They are big,” she said. “The size definitely bothered us tonight. Their guards were beating us off the bounce.” Correcting their mistakes, Packard said, will be...

Men's basketball live blog

11/14/10 2:51 PM

Join sports editor Teddy Cahill to talk about Ball State's home opener against Eastern Illinois.

Scaife named to Mid-Major Freshman All-American Team

3/30/10 1:41 PM

Ball State freshman guard Jauwan Scaife on Tuesday afternoon was named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-American Team. Sophomore center Jarrod Jones earned the same accolades last season when he was also named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. Scaife started every game but one – Senior Day – for the Cardinals at the shooting guard position this past season. He averaged 10.2 points per game, third best on the team and third best among MAC freshmen. His 305 total points ranked as the sixth best freshman total in program history. Scaife showed the ability throughout the season of being a major threat beyond the 3-point line. He hit 6-of-8 3s and scored 20 points against Toledo. As the season wore on, however, Scaife was also working on creating his...