Ball State's Berry snaps slump in comeback win
Jesse Berry was struggling coming into Saturday’s game against CMU.
Ball State’s freshman point guard, who was averaging around eight points per game, was held scoreless in the team’s previous two games, a loss against Wofford and win at Eastern Michigan.
Berry’s slump looked to continue in the first half Saturday at McGuirk Arena. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder did not score after attempting three shots.
But it was Berry’s second-half tear, scoring 17 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, that eventually helped the Cardinals to a 65-58 comeback win, solidifying them in a first-place tie with Western Michigan atop the Mid-American Conference West Division.
“I’m so proud of Jesse’s performance,” said Ball State head coach Billy Taylor. “He’s never gotten down during a tough stretch and he’s probably never had two consecutive scoreless games in his career. For him to go scoreless in a couple games, he kept working at it, stayed after practice, got his extra shots, came early on game days, just to prepare himself for when that opportunity would come.”
Trailing the Chippewas by 20-plus points with 17 minutes to play, Berry led the charge with baskets on back-to-back possessions. He followed those up with free throws and before the 3,816 in attendance could take another breath, the Cardinals had put together a 12-0 run to pull within striking distance.
While CMU tried to distance itself, Berry struck again with a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched by a Randy Davis free throw to cut the lead to single digits.
“We knew he’s a more than capable shooter,” said CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler. “The last time we played them, he was on a tear. That’s what he is. He’s an athletic shooter.”
Five minutes later, after Ball State closed to within a possession, Berry gave his team its first lead of the game, 53-51 after getting fouled and making a layup.
“It felt good, but I think I owe it to my team for not giving up on me,” Berry said. “Coach Taylor drew up the plays, I just did what he told me to. He wanted me to go off a screen, that’s what I did.”
Davis steps up late
Berry wasn’t the only Ball State player to take control down the stretch.
During the Cardinals’ second half run, junior guard Randy Davis served as the dagger to CMU’s hopes of remaining in contention for a West Division title.
Davis finished with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a layup and 3-pointer with less than three minutes remaining to seal CMU’s collapse.
“We definitely didn’t have the same sense of purpose of staying in front of the ball,” Zeigler said. “In the second half, they were able to get in the lane and draw some drive and kick opportunities, and we were late getting back on it. The Berry kid hit some big 3s for them during their run and then Davis made some huge 3s that kind of sealed it for him. We just really struggled with staying in front of it with some of the match-ups we had.”
