Ball State men’s basketball has been searching for the win column since its lone victory against Franklin College Nov. 8.
While riding a three-game losing streak, the Cardinals found themselves in a similar position with 1:08 remaining in today’s Gulf Coast Showcase game against Eastern Kentucky. Down 61-57, Ball State needed something to happen.
Junior guard Jermahri Hill – who played junior college basketball before transferring to Ball State this year – was that guy.
“There’s been a lot of adjusting on my part,” Hill said. “...But I draw a lot of attention when I have the ball.
Though Hill led Ball State with 18 points – and leads the team with 15.4 points per game – it was his ball-handling skills that got the job done.
“For a kid being in that situation for the first time at this level, he made two unbelievable plays,” Ball State head coach Michael Lewis said.
Hill drew a defender, which allowed redshirt senior Mickey Pearson Jr. to get open behind the arc. Hill made the pass, and after catching the ball, Pearson Jr. drained the 3-point shot.
After an and-one layup from senior center Payton Sparks a few moments later, the Cardinals’ defense held off the Colonels’ and grabbed the 63-61 victory for their second win of the year.
“These guys showed some heart and some guts after what's been a difficult start,” Lewis said. “They showed that they can ride out a win and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Though it’s a positive outcome for the Cardinals (2-4), the stats show some negative play. Part of Ball State’s issue throughout the afternoon was their ability to rebound offensively. Eastern Kentucky (3-2) led in that category with 20 (41 overall) while Ball State only had five (31 overall).
“They’re the second-best offensive rebounding team in the country,” Lewis said. “We got to be able to get both hands on the ball and we're just tipping the ball around too much.”
During the first half, the pace of play was high as both teams sprinted up and down the court on every possession. While the Cardinals started the game 4-for-8 from the field– they finished 22-for-45 (48.9 percent) – the elevated pace caused issues for the white and red.
They had 12 turnovers in the opening half.
“We’ve had those conversations over the last couple of days,” Lewis said. ‘“Hey look, we want to play fast, but we’re not scoring on transition.’ We have to get more efficient on offense and [in the second half], we were by far more efficient when [slowing down].”
After halftime, the Cardinals slowed things down, allowing Sparks to become more active in the paint. He finished the victory with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists. After the game, Lewis said everyone did something to help the team.
To the Cardinal’s third-year head coach, the Gulf Coast Showcase is what the team needs right now. For three days with three straight games, it’s nothing but basketball.
“We can spend a lot of time with each other and make a lot of preparations and play a lot of basketball,” Lewis said. “We want to get home, and we play I think three games in a month… We can use this time to really improve our basketball team.”
To Sparks, a win like today is what the Cardinals needed. After playing his first two seasons with Ball State and last year with Indiana University, he’s seen what happens when teams get hot.
“We can use this for motivation, he said. “We just gotta keep working hard and keep winning games.”
The Cardinals will play their second game of the event Tuesday, Nov. 16 against Florida Tech (0-3). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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