Ball State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Drops MAC Contest to Eastern Michigan
February 04, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Skip Mills, who scored all 14 of his points in the second half, was the only Ball State player in double figures. The Cardinals attempted 22 more shots from the floor than Eastern Michigan, but the Eagles shot 20 more free throws.
John Bowler notched a double-double with 14 points for Eastern Michigan, and Danny McElhinny scored a game-high 18 points.
"They wanted it badly," Ball State coach Tim Buckley said. "They came in here to get this game, and that's what they did."
Against Eastern's zone defense, Ball State (7-12, 3-8 MAC) struggled to get the ball into the paint. The Cardinals made just 2-of-20 three-point attempts and shot 30 percent from the floor.
"I thought we did get some good looks, but we just didn't make the shots," Mills said. "We should have attacked more instead of settling for threes."
After taking an early lead, Ball State endured a six-minute scoring drought in the first half, and Eastern took a 25-16 lead into the break.
The Cardinals closed the gap to three points at 35-32 on Mills' three-pointer with 12:28 to play, but that was as close as they would get. Danny McElhinny's three-pointer two minutes later pushed Eastern's lead back to six points. Eastern expanded its lead to as many as 14 points on its way to the victory.
D'Andre Peyton was Ball State's second-leading scorer with eight points.
The Cardinals return to action Tuesday with a 7 p.m. tip against Buffalo at Worthen Arena.
