The numbers speak for themselves.
Ball State went 22-for-68 from the court in their first contest of the 2024-25 season against Georgia State. In the Mid-American Conference (MAC) vs. Sun Belt Conference Challenge matchup, the Cardinals also went 8-for-33 from 3-point range, which aided in the red and black falling to the Panthers 71-66.
Though he was not pleased with the game’s outcome, Ball State head coach Michael Lewis was happy with his team’s fight.
“It goes against everything that I'm about when I say this,” Lewis said. “But I was encouraged by our performance tonight.”
Though the third-year Cardinals’ head coach seemed positive about the way his team looked on the court, he admitted there were moments when the red and black looked in rough shape. Most of those examples came in the first half.
To begin the contest in Atlanta, Georgia, Ball State’s shooting ability was off as the team started 0-for-7. The trend continued in the first half as the Cardinals went 9-for-34 from the field.
“We just rushed things, whether it was open shots or free throws,” Lewis said. “We got a lot of guys that are new to the team and we got a lot of guys that, quite frankly, didn't play last year, and some of [those errors] are expected.”
The rushed shooting did cross over to the foul line as Ball State went 14-for-24 in those opportunities. According to Lewis, that aspect of the game is not something he’s worried about as the team allegedly shot 37 and 43 free throws in secret scrimmages and supposedly did pretty well.
But when the foul shooting happened, it wasn’t from who the Cardinal fans may have expected. Senior center Payton Sparks – who dealt with cramping issues throughout the game – only attempted five free throws in the loss, hitting just one. He also was limited from the field and only shot three times, missing all three attempts.
It’s something Lewis isn’t concerned about and mentioned his other stats as Sparks had four assists and seven rebounds.
“I think Payton was in there. We featured him and we tried to get the ball to the post,” Lewis said. “Obviously, he's going to draw a lot of attention… He's willing, passive and he draws attention.
“If I could take myself back to when I played, I'd love to play with him because he's not selfish, and he gives up the basketball.”
His teammates echoed Lewis’ thoughts.
“I think he brought a lot of attention,” junior guard Juanse Gororsito said. “Because of that, we can take easy shots… One of the main abilities he has is to pass the ball.”
Though Sparks had a quiet scoring night, others found success against the Panthers. Returning graduate student guard Ethan Brittain-Watts scored 12 points on 3-for-7 shooting, with all of his baskets being 3-pointers. Gorosito also notched 12 points.
But after 40 minutes of basketball, it was junior guard Jermahri Hill who led the red and black with 17 points. After struggling from the field early, he found momentum in the second half.
“I think he slowed himself down a little bit,” Lewis said. “He's going to be able to learn what he can and can't do at this level. But I thought he played a little bit more under control and slowed himself down a little bit the second half, which led to some success.”
Though the offense did find some rhythm late in the game, the poor shooting performance and other issues did not allow the Cardinals to gain enough ground on the Panthers. With so many new faces on the roster, tonight showed both players and coaches what works and what doesn’t.
“We struggled a little bit in terms of intensity and how to sustain that level of play that it takes to win games,” Brittain-Watts said. “...Early on, they were being physical and we matched that physicality. So we just have to keep taking steps in that direction.”
The Cardinals will take the court at Worthen Arena for their first home game Friday, Nov. 8. The red and black will face Franklin at 5 p.m.
Though Ball State is now 0-1, Lewis thinks the future of this team isn’t defined by the loss.
“I haven't seen these guys compete like they did tonight, and that part was encouraging,” Lewis said. “We're still trying to figure out different combinations… I don't think tonight is indicative of how the whole season's gonna go.”
Contact Zach Carter at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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