“Ball State Sparks Excitement with Victory Over Bowling Green: Now 2-1 in MAC Action!”

In the initial half of today’s match against Mid-American Conference (MAC) rival Bowling Green, the Ball State men’s basketball team appeared to be executing everything head coach Michael Lewis requested. In the first 15 minutes, the Cardinals forced nine turnovers from the Falcons and led 42-26 at halftime.

“I believed the first half was as deliberate and focused as we have played on both ends this season,” Lewis mentioned. “I thought we performed well offensively [and] attacked in the manner we wanted. I felt defensively, we adhered to a game strategy with urgency and intensity that positioned us to secure the victory.”

He was right as Ball State continued to triumph over the Falcons 91-69. This marks the sixth occasion the Cardinals have restricted an opponent to fewer than 70 points, and in these contests, they remain unbeaten.

“We had good ball movement this evening,” redshirt senior forward Mickey Pearson Jr. stated.
“I feel like we secured stops that allowed us to transition swiftly and attack the offensive boards as well. It’s enjoyable to play like that.”

The game commenced with the Cardinals (8-7, 2-1 MAC) taking an early 6-2 advantage. A decade later, the red and white were up 23-12, and they never lost their lead for the remainder of the period. The significant lead was supported by a blend of effective offensive plays. One standout player was senior center Payton Sparks.

Building on a double-double – 20 points and 16 rebounds – from the defeat against Miami, the 6-foot 10-inch big man replicated his performance with consecutive double-doubles. In today’s match, he recorded 19 points and 13 rebounds. After leaving Ball State for Indiana University for the 2023-24 season, Sparks entered the transfer portal following a solitary season with the Hoosiers.

These performances are merely what Lewis anticipated when his team reinstated Sparks to Ball State.

“I didn’t bring him back here for kicks … [It’s also] what he signifies to the university, right?” Lewis articulated. “For starters, what he represents to the community due to who he was during his previous stint here. Not merely the player, but walking around the community [and you notice] how many individuals say, ‘Hey, I saw Payton here or I spotted Payton there.’

“They genuinely adore him. If he wasn’t that kind of person, we wouldn’t have welcomed him back. However, when you merge that kind of individual with what he can contribute as a player, and then [consider] the work he has completed and the progress he has achieved from the beginning of the season until now. His development has mirrored our team’s evolution. Thus, he keeps improving.”

For Sparks, his mindset and attitude for today’s match were straightforward.

“I was just aiming to be dominant,” Sparks conveyed. “Just trying to set the tone [around] the rim or just in the post. I was merely attempting to assist my team in the best way possible.”

Following halftime, the Cardinals had difficulty recapturing the energy they exhibited at the game’s commencement. This did not bode well for Ball State as the Falcons (6-9, 1-2 MAC) began incorporating zone defense with their man-to-man strategy, leading to disruptions for the red and white’s composure on offense.

“We didn’t do an excellent job of attacking that early on,” Lewis noted. “Once we settled in and executed our game plan, I thought our defensive intensity picked up again. But we need to be more disciplined in our execution, especially as the game progresses into the second half.”

Although their performance in the second half took a while to regain momentum, once the Cardinals resumed their first-half form, they sustained their success. Throughout the game, it was a physical contest, with numerous possessions seeing fouls at the basket and players hitting the ground.

After incurring a technical foul for disputing with the officials with seven minutes left on the clock, Falcons head coach Todd Simon received a second technical foul. He was ejected with a minute remaining after once again commenting towards the officials.

Ball State saw six players score in double digits: Sparks (19), Pearson (16), junior guard Juanse Gorsitio (16, four 3-pointers), graduate student guard Jeremiah Hernandez (14), junior guard Jermahri Hill (12) and graduate student guard Ethan Brittain-Watts (10). The Cardinals concluded the game shooting 33-for-56 from the field (58.9 percent), 18-for-22 from the free-throw line (81.8 percent) and held the lead for 93.4 percent of the contest.

When Lewis was assembling this roster, this is the vision he had.

“As I mentioned post the Kent State game, there were glimpses, and we witnessed it again today of what I foresee this team becoming when we cohesively put it together,” Lewis explained. “The challenge, which is a significant one for everyone, is ‘Okay, that’s fantastic. Can we do it again, and again?’

“I thought our effort was decent against Miami, but we faced some mental lapses that cost us the game in the second half. So we had a few of those issues resurface today. Thus, [it’s a matter of whether we can] maintain greater consistency concerning our overall attention to detail, combined with the effort needed to secure victories.”

The Cardinals will confront that challenge when they visit Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The game is slated to commence at 7 p.m.

Reach out to Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.