MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State men's basketball team dropped its third straight game as the Cardinals fell 71-58 to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at Worthen Arena. The loss drops the Cardinals to 4-5 on the season while the Colonels improve to 7-3 on the year.
“This was a frustrating game for us today,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “There were a lot of little things that we didn't do well. If you want to win college basketball games, you can't go 9-of-20 from the foul line, 5-of-20 on threes and give up 13 offensive rebounds. Those things are unacceptable and we have to correct them quickly.”
Senior forward Anthony Newell (Chicago, Ill./Simeon) was one of three Cardinals in double figures scoring as he tallied a game-high 17 points on seven-of-15 shooting from the field. Senior guard Rob Giles (Detroit, Mich./Mott) tied his career-high with 10 points in his first start of the season as he was four-of-six from the field.
Eastern Kentucky came out of the gate quickly as it jumped out to a 12-6 lead just four minutes into the game as Josh Taylor scored 10 of the first 12 points for EKU. The Cardinals settled in and ran off an 8-2 run to tie the game at 19-19 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. Newell sparked early going as he scored nine quick points, including two dunks against the EKU zone.
The Colonels answered right back with eight unanswered points on their way to a 16-3 run and a 35-22 lead. Ball State narrowed the lead slightly as Giles hit two three-pointers in the final three minutes but EKU also nailed a pair of long range shots to take a 41-30 lead into the locker room.
Ball State finished the first half shooting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field and hit two-of-six from three-point land. The Cardinals also connected on just four-of-eight (50%) from the free throw line in the first half. Eastern Kentucky was strong offensively in the first half as it hit 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field and 63.6 percent (seven-of-11) from long range. The Colonels hit their first four three-point attempts of the game.
After two quick baskets from EKU to open the second half, Ball State ran off eight straight points on its way to a 14-3 run to pull within four points at 48-44. Newell ignited the run with seven points, including an old-fashioned three-point play. Senior guard Brandon Lampley (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) added a three-pointer from the corner in the stretch. The run last over eight minutes as each team went five-plus minutes without a field goal.
The two teams traded three-point baskets before EKU responded with eight straight points to raise the Colonels lead back to double figures. The Cardinals had one last push as they pulled within nine points on a basket by Lampley but their three-point attempts in the ensuing possession would not fall. Eastern Kentucky connected on its free throws down the stretch to solidify the victory as it was 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the line in the second half.
Ball State finished the game shooting 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the field and just 25 percent (five-of-20) from long range. The Cardinals also struggled from the charity stripe as they hit just 45 percent (nine-of-20) from the line. Eastern Kentucky finished the game shooting 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) on three-pointers. EKU came into the game averaging 10.3 three-pointers per contest.
Lampley added 11 points, nine of which came in the second half, as he was six-of-nine from the free throw line and dished out five assists. Senior guard Laron Frazier (Waukegan, Ill./Highland CC) chipped in nine points as he was four-of-10 from the field. Freshman forward Mo Hubbard (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, in just 16 minutes of action.
Taylor led Eastern Kentucky in scoring as he finished with 16 points in just 16 minutes. Papa Oppong and Dayvon Ellis each added 11 points in the victory for the Colonels.
Ball State will be off this week for final exams. The Cardinals return to action Sunday, December 21 when they host Presbyterian at 1 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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