Ball State (1-0) opened its 2023-24 campaign on Tuesday evening with a match against Goshen (0-3) at Worthen Arena.
After taking an early lead, the Cardinals never looked back as they defeated the Maple Leafs 101-40. Here are three takeaways from Ball State’s first win of the season.
Offensive success
Right after the opening tip-off, the Cardinals began their run at the hoop as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes. While the Maple Leafs made a slight comeback, Ball State didn’t hesitate to go on another deep-scoring run.
As the buzzer rang to close the first half, the Cardinals headed for the locker room with a 48-14 lead.
Three-pointers, layups, and jump shots found the bottom of the basket for Ball State. Redshirt junior Mickey Pearson led Ball State with nine points and hit a buzzer-beating three-point shot to end the period.
Junior Davion Bailey also added nine points and junior Jalin Anderson followed with eight.
The second half was similar as the Cardinals continued to score. Junior Basheer Jihad led Ball State with 21 points and redshirt freshman Micah Bell followed with 14.
New recruits contributed to the win
Ball State entered the season with eight new players. It did not take long for them to make an impact in their first contest with the program. Anderson finished his first game in front of the Ball State faithful with ten points and one rebound.
Another name that found some success was freshman Jurica Zagorsak. Originally from Croatia, he recorded ten points and three rebounds in his first game on American soil.
Six of the new additions appeared in the game, combining for 50 points, 22 rebounds, and 15 assists.
Ball State capitalized on Goshen turnovers
One of the biggest factors in the game was ball control. While the Cardinals only had eight turnovers, the Maple Leafs had issues in that category with 26 turnovers.
Out-of-bounds plays, steals, and other takeaways plagued the Maple Leafs. This led to many Ball State possessions which the Cardinals used to add 44 points to the scoreboard.
Ball State will return to the court when they face Old Dominion (1-0) at home on Saturday, Nov. 10. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X@ZachCarter85.
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