Redshirt Sophomore Rocco Belcaster's first three games weren't what he expected after missing last season, but Monday's game was a different story.
Belcaster came off the bench and finished the game with a career-high 15 points, going 4-of-6 from three-point range as Ball State defeated Grambling State 88-46 at Worthen Arena.
“I've been feeling good in practice,” said Belcaster. “I was just letting the game come to me, everything was flowing pretty well.”
Belcaster came into the game with urgency, helping the Cardinals off the bench with three triples in the first half.
The game got off to a slow start, as both teams struggled to find their shot in the opening minutes.
It wasn’t until Sean Sellers answered with a three-pointer at the 18:47 mark that Ball State was able to get in rhythm.
Sellers would finish the first half with seven points, and score 12 in the game.
On the next possession, Sellers hit sophomore Franko House with a nice pass from the paint for another three-pointer, which would lead to a quick Grambling State 30 second timeout.
Passing and turnovers were a big issue in the loss to IUPUI Saturday, and head coach James Whitford knew that was an adjustment his team had to make.
“The biggest thing for us coming off Saturday’s game against IUPUI was taking care of the ball,” said Whitford. “Having [only] 10 turnovers was the stat of the game for us.”
Ball State would commit just four turnovers in the first half.
Freshman Jeremie Tyler, the Cardinals' second leading scorer, was 0-5 before finally hitting his first shot in the first half, a corner three. From that point, Tyler made his next three shots, ending the first half with 8 points to lead Ball State.
Ball State went on a 10-0 run before Grambling finally answered with a lay-in bucket.
The Cardinals held the lead the entire first half, extending it to 19 with a House layup with just two seconds left going into halftime.
Ball State shot 48 percent from the floor while also shooting an impressive 57 percent from three-point range in the first half, as Grambling State was only able to put up 22 points.
The Cardinals followed up the first half by shooting 62 percent in the second half, shooting 54 percent overall from the field. They assisted on 23-of-30 made field goals.
“I thought we played very unselfish,” Whitford said. “We have guys who are skilled and are good shooters.”
The second half was no different, as the Cardinals controlled the rest of the game. The half opened with a three-pointer from Tyler followed by a House dunk.
Tyler remained aggressive in the second half, going 4-5 to finish with a game-high of 18 points.
After fouling out late against IUPUI, House responded with a season-hight of 12 points. Junior Bik Gill was the fifth Ball State player in double-figures with 11 points.
Fifth-year senior Matt Kamieniecki followed up a 15-rebound performance against IUPUI with 13 boards against Grambling State to lead Ball State.
Ball State is now 2-2 on the season.
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