TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State Sycamores are hosting in-state foe Ball State Saturday afternoon at the Hulman Center for a 2 p.m. tip. The two teams will be facing off for the 136th time dating back to 1919, and ISU is looking to open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2011-12.
Ball State is one of five teams the Sycamores have home-and-home series with dating back to last season. ISU will also take on North Dakota State, Miami (Ohio), and Northern Illinois this season in scheduled rematches with all but the Miami game set to compete in Hulman Center, along with having already hosted Green Bay in the season opener.
Newcomers Courvoisier McCauley and Trenton Gibson wasted no time making an impact in the Blue and White as they combined for 41 points and 21 rebounds in Indiana State's 80-53 season-opening win against Green Bay. Both players posted a double-double in their Sycamore debut and McCauley knocked down six triples while shooting 8-of-16 from the field overall in the game while Gibson shot an impressive 8-of-9 from the field.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday is the 136th all-time meeting between in-state foes Indiana State and Ball State. Dating back to their first meeting in 1919, the two teams have faced each other in all but 10 calendar years in that span.
The Sycamores opened the all-time series with six straight wins, and are 40-16 against the Cardinals on home court all-time including 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Terre Haute.
Indiana State dropped the last meeting with the Cardinals, 75-97, in Muncie on Nov. 27, 2021. The Sycamores were led offensively by Micah Thomas' 19 points while Xavier Bledson scored 15 in his return to the court in the game.
LAST GAME AGAINST THE CARDINALS (FULL RECAP)
Indiana State basketball dropped its matchup with Ball State, 97-75, at Worthen Arena Nov. 27, 2021. The Sycamores were led offensively by Micah Thomas' 19 points while Xavier Bledson scored 15 in his return to the court.
Five Cardinals scored in double figures led by Tyler Cochran who dropped 15 points. Miryne Thomas recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Luke Bumbalough added 14 points as the sharpshooter hit four of BSU's 15 3-pointers.
Ball State shot lights out from the field in the first half at 45 percent from the field while shooting 53.3 percent (8-15) from behind the arc. Indiana State struggled shooting throughout the game and finished shooting 39.7 percent (23- 58) from the field and 36 percent (9-25) from downtown.
BALL STATE AT A GLANCE
Ball State was picked fourth in the Preseason MAC Poll under first-year head coach Michael Lewis, and reigning MAC Freshman of the Year Payton Sparks was named preseason All-MAC First Team.
The Cardinals are coming off a historic performance in the season opener as BSU recorded the largest margin of victory with a 109-39 win against Earlham. The 70-point margin bested the previous record by six, which was 64 points against Cardinal Stritch in 1989. The Cardinals' 109 points is tied for the 13th most in program history and is the first time scoring over 105 points since February 18, 2017. Lewis also made history as he earned his first career win as a head coach.
In Ball State's season opener, Demarius Jacobs recorded a game-high 19 points and a game-high six assists. Mickey Pearson Jr. recorded a double-double with a career-high 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Kaiyem Cleary produced 17 points, and Payton Sparks finished with 15 points and eight boards. Basheer Jihad produced 13 points to go along with four rebounds. Jalen Windham ended the game with 10 points, six rebounds with a career-high five assists and a career-best four steals.
LAST TIME OUT
Newcomers Courvoisier McCauley and Trenton Gibson wasted no time making an impact in the Blue and White as they combined for 41 points and 21 rebounds in Indiana State's 80-53 season-opening win against Green Bay.
All 10 Sycamores who saw action found their name on the scoresheet, paced by McCauley's game-high 23 points. Gibson was the only other Sycamore in double-figures with 18 points while he and McCauley each notched a double-double with 11 and 10 boards, respectively, and it was the first time in more than 15 season that two or more Sycamores had a double-double in the same game.
After leading by just three points (34-31) at the half, Indiana State turned it up on both ends of the court in the second half, outscoring Green Bay 46-22 in the frame while holding the Phoenix to just one basket from the field in the last 13 minutes of the game. ISU's lead peaked at 27 on a Masen Miller triple with 25 seconds to go.
The Sycamores dished out 21 assists and added eight steals in the win. Three different Sycamores had five assists including Julian Larry and Xavier Bledson with five off the bench, and Jayson Kent had a career-high five steals.
2022-23 RETURN TRIPS
Several familiar foes dot the 2022-23 nonconference schedule as the Sycamores feature five returners from last season. ISU will feature four teams making the return trip to the Hulman Center this winter, while the Sycamores will hit the road once to close out the home-and-home contracts.
Return Trips
2022-23 2021-22 (Results)
Nov. 7 vs. Green Bay Nov. 9 at GB - W, 81-77
Nov. 12 vs. Ball State Nov. 27 at BSU - L, 97-75
Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota State Dec. 13 at NDSU - L, 77-70
Dec. 3 at Miami (Ohio) Dec. 4 vs. MOH - W, 69-68
Dec. 22 vs. Northern Illinois Dec. 22 - Canceled (Covid)
FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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