Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
6-13 (2-4MAC)
Kent State
11-8 (4-2MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 36 | 24 | 60 |
| Ball State | 26 | 28 | 54 |
Men's Basketball Falls At Home To Kent State
January 25, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Despite 14 points from both Skip Mills and Micah Rollin, the Ball State men's basketball team saw its two-game Mid-American Conference winning streak come to an end with a 60-54 homecourt loss to Kent State.
"Each game presents a different set of circumstances" says first-year BSU head coach Ronny Thompson. "How we started tonight's game was a problem. We were far too flat in the first half."
After trailing by 10 points at halftime, a layup from Rollin with 17:41 on the clock ignited a furious 9-0 BSU run that was capped by a back-to-back buckets from Mills to pull BSU within 40-39 with 15:01 to play.
The visiting Flashes pushed the lead back to six points with just under 11 minutes to play, before another score from Rollin and a three-point field goal from Mills again inched Ball State to within one point at 45-44.
The Cardinals closed to within one point again at 47-46 with 5:56 to play, but could get no closer.
Kent State's Omni Smith, who scored a game-high 21 points, deflated the raucous BSU student section with a three-pointer in the right corner with 3:57 on the clock to extend the Flashes' lead to seven points on the way to the eventual 60-54 final.
A frenzied and energized student section -- "The Nest" -- grew to over 1,000 students, but couldn't help propel the Cardinals to the win.
"You have to hit one or two shots to change the momentum of a game," says Kent State head coach Jim Christian, who won his 100th career game at KSU. "We were able to get defensive stops when they made their run and that is what won us the game."
In addition to the 14 points each from Mills and Rollin, Peyton Stovall chipped in nine points, while Chris Ames and Anthony Newell each finished with eight. Newell grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Ball State was playing without the services of D'Andre Peyton, who was suspended indefinitely due to a violation of team policy.
"If you want to be good, you can't play in spurts," Mills says. "We were flat in the first half. We can't keep digging ourselves a hole anymore. It comes down to who wants the game more, and they made the shots when they needed to."
The loss drops BSU to 6-13 overall and 2-4 in the MAC, while Kent State improved to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in the league.
The Cardinals return to action for WIPB & Ball State Sports Network Family Day with a 2 p.m. contest Sunday afternoon vs. Ohio. Pregame fun includes autograph sessions with Charlie Cardinal, the BSU Cheerleaders and Code Red Dancers, PBS character Dash, free children's books and magician Drew Oliver on the concourse.
