The game started with a 25-4 Ball State run and ended with sophomore guard Darren Yates holding the ball as time expired. By the end of the first half, the Ball State men's basketball team held a 31-point advantage, and by the final buzzer they had stretched it to 106-53.
The victory against Anderson was the Cardinals most explosive performance since a 113-89 victory over IPFW in 2001, and it set an Worthen Arena record for margin of victory.
Coach Tim Buckley said the high score was due, in part, to the fast pace of both offenses.
"They run the basketball, obviously that's going to change the way the score is," he said of Anderson. "They could have grinded it out and walked it up and maybe kept it a more workable margin, but when you go home, at the end of the day you have to ask 'Did we get better with the way we play?' And they probably did."
Senior forward Terrance Chapman had his second career double-double, putting up 18 points and 16 rebounds.
"I'm just out there playing, trying to have a good time," he said. "I'm not worried about my stats."
The figures matched Chapman's career-high in points and trumped his record in rebounds by five.
"I hope he has that on Saturday," Buckley said. "He's fully capable. I think he did a good job in that regard. I thought he played as hard as he could and showed great senior leadership.
Matt McCollom, Peyton Stovall, Skip Mills, Dennis Trammell all also put up double-figure point totals, the first time the Cards had that many since February 2003.
"I think everybody had a pretty good time," said Mills, who led the way with 20. "We were able to share the ball a lot more and players were making shots."
The Cardinals came out quickly, scoring the first six points, and in the first four minutes, Mills had six points, including a dunk. Ball State continued to play good defense, and at the seven-minute mark, only J.D. Clampitt had scored from the field for Anderson.
With 5:18 remaining in the first half, junior guard Jesse McClung put in a layup, his first field goal of the season. He finished the game with six points, going 3 of 9 from the field.
Ball State put up 53 points in the first half and went 24 of 46 from the field. Mills, Trammell and Chapman already had double-figure points by the start of the second frame.
In the last seven minutes of the first half, however, the Cardinals gave up 10 points, all from layups.
"I didn't think we finished the first half the right way," Buckley said. "And I think our guys knew it. We did a much better job when we came out in the second half."
The Cardinals came back with energy, as Stovall threw the ball at the basket and Mills slammed it in to complete the alley-oop.
Stovall put in two three-pointers and two layups in the second half before checking out of the game to a round of applause. Stovall played a season-low 22 minutes, but scored 17.
Mills' layup with 4:51 remaining gave the Cardinals 100 points and a 59-point lead. After that, many members of the student section left.
McCollom returned as a key player for the Ball State offense after averaging only 1.5 points in 10.3 minutes coming in. He put up 18 points and eight boards in 19 minutes.
"I think we might play him at power forward," Buckley joked. "Matt's a competitor, he's always got a positive outlook on things. I think he'll continue to grow and improve. I think it enhances our lineup, obviously, when he plays that way."
The game was also an impressive one for the defense, with the Cardinals holding Anderson to 28.8 percent from the field and 17.2 percent from beyond the arc, by far their best defensive numbers of the season.
"For our guys to continue to guard and be in a stance and share the basketball really says a lot about their character," Buckley said. "I've seen a lot of guys go out there and muck around and try to get their stats and pad them. I think that says a lot about our guys."
The Cardinals outrebounded the Ravens 58-33, and registered 10 blocks.
"Well, that's got to be our expectation from here on out," Buckley said. "I think that if you're going to win championships, you have to do it on the defensive end. You've got to go get loose balls."
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