Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Falls 84-71 at Kent State
January 11, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Maurice Acker scored a career-high 23 points Wednesday, but Ball State fell at Kent State, 84-71.
Skip Mills, the Mid-American Conference's second-leading scorer, poured in 18 points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out four assists.
The Cardinals led early but suffered a seven-minute scoring drought in the first half as Kent State went on a 24-0 run.
The Golden Flashes' Kevin Warzynski started the run with a basket at the 12:40 mark. When he capped the run with two free throws with 5:20 to play in the half, Kent State had turned a 15-12 deficit into a 36-15 lead.
Kent State held a 45-29 advantage at the half.
The Flashes pulled down 19 offensive rebounds in the game, which led to 23 second chance points compared to Ball state's five. Kent State also got 47 points from its bench.
"Tonight they did a great job of taking the fight to us," Ball State coach Tim Buckley said. "They were physical, and we needed to be much more aggressive. They are as good of a basketball team as we've faced, and their bench is outstanding."
After Kent State had pushed its lead to 20 points midway though the second half, Ball State cut the deficit to 12 on three occasions. Two Skip Mills free throws with 6:29 to play cut the Flashes' lead to 74-62.
But Kent State's Isaac Knight answered immediately, converting on a 3-point play to end the Cardinals' momentum.
Knight, who scored 16 points, was one of four Flashes in double figures. Omni Smith scored a game-high 24 points. Warzynski had 18 points, and Jay Youngblood added 11.
Ball State held Kent State to eight second half field goals, but the Flashes' converted on 21-of-26 free throws to maintain their lead.
Acker scored 15 of his points in the second half as Ball State tried to come back. He made 6-of-11 attempts from the floor, including 5-of-7 from the 3-point line.
"I've been working on my shot a lot, and I am gaining some confidence," Acker said. "I make 100 3-pointers after practice every day, and I am just trying to improve."
Ball State returns to action at home Saturday against Miami with a 4 p.m. tip. The game is the fourth annual "White Out," as fans are encouraged to wear all white. It is also Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever day.
