Ahead of Ball State’s contest against Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe Northern Illinois, junior guard Juanese Gorosito welcomed his family to Muncie. Hailing from Argentina, this was the first time Cardinals’ head coach Michael Lewis met the Gorosito family.
“I've been coaching this dude for months,” Lewis said. “They speak zero English, so they're in my office. He was a translator, so who knows what the hell he was saying back and forth, right? But whatever he was communicating to them and then relaying to me, it was a very pleasant conversation. It was really cool to interact with them.”
With his loved ones in attendance, Gorosito put up a season-high 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting (5-for-8 from 3-point range) in an 89-83 overtime win against the Huskies.
“I just put a little pressure on myself,” Gorosito said. “But [I was] trying to win, trying to make them happy and just letting them enjoy the game.”
Ball State (13-12, 6-6 MAC) graduate student guard Ethan Brittain-Watts sat in the post-game presser beside Lewis and Gorosito. Just a few weeks ago, he was quiet as the team was struggling. This time, he was smiling as soon as he stepped into the room. After the Huskies defeated Ball State Jan. 25, this was payback.
“They took a piece of our season, and they chose the wrong week to have a bad week,” he said. “Like coach said, we got the win tonight and so it was good to split the season. But it’s definitely a revengeful feeling to have for the game.”
The contest started as both the Cardinals and Huskies struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout the first half. Though they went 9-for-25 from the floor, the Cardinals’ defense was on point, holding the Huskies down on offense.
Ball State went into halftime leading Northern Illinois (5-15, 1-11 MAC) 38-20. This was something Lewis was thrilled to see.
“The first 20 minutes of defense was really good for this team,” Lewis said. “There was a lot of activity. Guys were moving … We were out of position a couple of times, [but] they just weren't able to take advantage of it. We covered it up with effort.”
Though the Cardinals seemed to be locked in to open the game, the second half was a bit different. First, the Huskies dropped 56 points in the period while Ball State scored 38. Because of this, a game once controlled by the red and white became a back-and-forth fight.
With 4:52 remaining in the game, Ball State led 65-61. But for the rest of regulation, the Huskies used simple Cardinal errors to claw their way back in. Throughout the final minutes, free throws became important for both teams. With six seconds on the clock, the Cardinals led 76-74.
However, after a costly foul from Ball State graduate student guard Jeremiah Hernandez, the Huskies hit two free throws to tie the game 76-76, forcing overtime.
“[Those were] some mistakes that you just can't make if you're going to be a good team,” Lewis said.
But in the extra period, the Cardinals found the spark they needed, going 4-for-6 and dropping 13 points. They also shot six free throws while the Huskies had zero.
Behind Gorosito were redshirt senior Mickey Pearson Jr. with 15 points and Hernandez with 14.
With the win, Ball State is still the No. 6 team in the MAC. They will next head to Toledo for a date with the Rockets Tuesday, Feb. 18. The game will start at 7 p.m.
“I like our team. I like how we've improved throughout the year,” Lewis said. “I think this team can accomplish everything that they've set out to accomplish … We just haven't been able to put a complete 40 minutes together. We got to be a more complete basketball team.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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