Ball State men’s basketball hosted Southern Mississippi Saturday afternoon for the Cardinals’ second contest of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) vs Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Challenge.
After 40 minutes of basketball, the Cardinals defeated the Golden Eagles 77-76.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Similar start on offense for both teams
Both the Cardinals and the Golden Eagles came out swinging on offense. However, both saw similar results as in the first nine minutes, Ball State was 3-for-13 and 1-for-5 from 3-point range. Southern Mississippi was 4-for-13, but found success from deep, going 3-for-6.
In that time, the Golden Eagles recorded five early assists while the Cardinals only had two. One thing that harmed both competing teams was fouls and turnovers. Southern Mississippi ended the first half with eight turnovers and Ball State had six.
The Cardinals were called for five fouls in the opening period while the Golden Eagles were whistled for eight.
Ball State ended the first half going 14-for-36 from the court while Southern Mississippi was 13-for-28.
Ball State’s energy was on point throughout the game
Ball State head coach Michael Lewis has talked about grit and energy throughout the season. In today’s game, the Cardinals were able to use physical play to stay in the game.
Senior center Payton Sparks continued to use his size in the paint to help the Cardinals put points on the board. He finished the opening half with nine points. But it wasn’t just offense where the red and white’s level of play was noticed.
On defense, the Cardinals were willing to hit the court for the basketball. Sophomore forward Mason Jones was in multiple fights for the basketball during the first half. More of that type of play on the defensive end led to Golden Eagle turnovers, which the red and white turned into points.
Second half execution led to a victory
Another issue the Cardinals have had in the 2024-25 campaign is their ability to execute in certain stretches of games. Sometimes, it’s been the final few minutes of a contest or even the final minutes of the first half.
But in today’s second half, the Cardinals put together a showcase of great play and never settled. After taking a 43-42 lead at the 17:14 mark, Ball State continued to find ways to hold down the Golden Eagles. Because of that, the Cardinals never lost the lead and found the win column.
Redshirt senior Mickey Pearson Jr. finished the game leading Ball State with 21 points and five rebounds. Sparks followed with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, the Cardinals out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 40 to 31.
Ball State will return to MAC play Tuesday, Feb. 11 with a home game against Eastern Michigan. The game will start at 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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