by MUNCIE, Ind.- Ball State took on the Mansfield Mountaineers in their second contest of the year after beating Louisiana-Lafayette in their season opener on Monday, Nov. 3, at home.
Ball State came into this game looking to start the year with two straight wins before traveling to Wisconsin.
The Mountaineers put the Cardinals on upset alert throughout this matchup. Mansfield held Ball State to a very slow offensive first half, and they were reluctant to go away deep into the second, as well.
It took a while for Ball State to get going against Mansfield. They shot just 35% in the first 10 minutes and only lead by 5 to that point.
Ball State head coach Michael Lewis held himself accountable for how the game started for his side.
“I’m pleased that we won. I did a poor job having us ready. I knew this team (Mansfield) would have some fight. We just didn’t have the same focus as we did the other night, and I need to figure out why that was,” said Lewis
Even with the slow start to this game, Coach Lewis still believes his team can be successful. Lewis has been using a smaller lineup this season which has been used so far to their advantage.
Versatility has been a part of Coach Lewis’ game plan this year going with a smaller lineup. Part of that versatility was using his players’ matchups to their advantage.
Davion Hill was a big part of the win contributing 16 points, six rebounds, and a steal. Hill had a few instances in the paint that showed how comfortable he is in the post as a guard.
Whether it was using a post move and finishing through contact or driving through the lane to get to the basket, Hill scored strong points in the paint and has 14 rebounds in two games.
Coach Lewis spoke about Hill and the versatility of his roster.
“He might be playing the wrong sport,” said Coach Lewis. ” He’s a mismatch problem, and we take advantage of him, we take advantage of Armoni (Zeigler), and we used Cam (Denson) to stretch the floor.”
Ball State struggled to get going but found rhythm as the game went on.
Ball State was up with a narrow lead of 32-28 at the half. The Cardinals scored 52 points compared to the 32 they scored in the first half. Mansfield didn’t have the same scoring ability by scoring 28 in the first half and 26 in the second.
One of the main reasons Ball State could break away from the Mountaineers was Armoni Zeigler. Zeigler started the big run in the back end of the game with his defense. Zeigler recorded five steals and started multiple fast breaks to boost the Cardinals to score in transition. Ball State scored 14 of their 19 fast break points in the second half
Zeigler ended the game with 20 points and nine rebounds to go along with his defensive effort.
The late scoring surge allowed some players on the bench to get some playing time when the game got comfortable.
Ball State freshman Easton Foster scored his first career collegiate basket in this matchup. Foster attended nearby high school Monroe Central and got a very loud reaction from the crowd when his shot fell through the net.
“Moments like those are really cool when you see somebody like Easton, who is from the area, to go out there and get a bucket.”
Coach Lewis spoke about some of the players that got minutes off the bench late in this game.
” They put in the work,” said Lewis.” And to be able to get them an opportunity to get their first college baskets is pretty cool.”
Ball State wound up with an 84-54 win over Mansfield. The Cardinals improve to a 2-0 record. They will will go to Wisconsin on Nov. 11 to face the Badgers.
