Ball State’s senior guard Jauwan Scaife stepped up to the foul line. As the 80 percent foul shooter toed the line in his normal routine his cool demeanor reflected what he was feeling on the inside.
“You shoot every shot like it’s your first,” Scaife said. “You just put yourself in a zone to knock them down like you always do.”
Scaife calmly sunk the pair, but these were far from his first shots of the night. The two freethrows with just 16.9 seconds to play gave the senior the last of his career-high 34 points, and effectively shut the door on Central Michigan’s comeback attempt, eventually giving the Cardinals a 95-90 win.
Ball State’s shooters were able to get going in large part because its of the inside-out passing. The Cardinal’s front line rotation of Majok Majok, Matt Kamieniecki, Zach Fields and Bo Calhoun out weighed the Chippewas by an average of 34 pounds, and forced double teams all night, giving clean looks up from behind the arc.
“We wanted to get the ball in the paint and get our 3’s off of that,” head coach Billy Taylor said.
The Cardinals did not trail all night, and even extended their cushion to 15 in the second half. Timely three-point baskets kept the Chippewas within striking distance.
Central Michigan chipped away at Ball State’s lead in the second half behind freshman guard Chris Fowler. Fowler, who finished with 18 points and 13 assists, continually got dribble penetration into the lane creating looks for himself and teammates.
“I can’t say enough about him, he’s a guy who just wants to win,” Central Michigan head coach Keno Davis said. “The light has gone on for him, and he’s realizing what he can do.”
The true freshman’s performance though was over shadowed and spoiled by the upper classman’s across from him.
“Thirty-four points kind of stands for itself,” Davis said. “I think you can make an argument that he’s playing as well as anybody in the conference.”
The Cardinals have heated up with Scaife and earned their fourth victory in the last five contests, and the hot streak couldn’t come at a better time.
The win keeps the Cardinals in contention for one of the top five spots in the modified Mid-American Conference tournament. Because Toledo is ineligible for the tournament this season, five teams will receive first round byes.
Scaife’s career night is the pinnacle thus far of a torrid series of games. After the Central Michigan game Scaife is averaging 23 points per game over the last eight games, leaving his teammates in awe.
“I think every time he shoots, it’s going in.” junior forward Chris Bond said.
