Ball State University
7-8, 2-2MAC
Bowling Green
11-4, 3-1MAC
MBB Derailed in Second Half at Bowling Green
January 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green used a big second half to hand the Ball State men's basketball team a 58-46 loss Saturday in Mid-American Conference action at the Stroh Center.
The Cardinals (7-8, 2-2 MAC) led by four at halftime but were outscored by a 35-19 margin after the break. Bowling Green (11-4, 3-1 MAC) improved to 7-1 on its home floor and won for the fifth time in its past six games.
“We didn't have a good offensive night, but what I was disappointed in was the difference between our defense in the first half and the second half,” Ball State coach James Whitford said. “They had a stretch there where we really let it get away from us. On the offensive end we started really pressing, and it made a tough situation even worse.”
Zavier Turner led Ball State with 14 points. MAC rebounding leader Matt Kamieniecki posted his fourth straight double-figure rebounding game with 11, while Bo Calhoun grabbed a career-high 10 boards.
A Sean Sellers' 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer sent the Cardinals to the locker room with a 27-23 advantage. Mental and physical fatigue then seemed to set in for the Cardinals, which were playing the second leg of back-to-back road games this week and coming off a double-overtime contest.
It was a 33-33 game nearly six minutes into the second half before Bowling Green seized control with an 18-3 run. The Cardinals suffered from some self-inflicted wounds in the second half with 10 turnovers leading directly to 13 Bowling Green points.
After scoring only two points in the first half, Bowling Green's top scorer Richaun Holmes got it going for nine in the second half. Zack Denny scored 10 of his game-high 17 points for the Falcons after the break.
“They did certainly tweak a couple things at halftime, but the difference for us was we turned the ball over and they got going fast,” Whitford said. “And our pick and roll defense was exceptional in the first half, and in the second half it was bad.”
Holmes and Spencer Parker finished with 11 points each to give Bowling Green three double-figure scorers. Denny added 10 rebounds for a double-double as the Falcons remained in a tie atop the MAC East Division standings.
Ball State finished the game shooting 32.7 percent from the floor. The Cardinals knocked down seven 3-pointers but were outscored at the foul line 19-5.
After two straight games on the road, Ball State now returns home for two in a row, starting Wednesday with a 7 p.m. tipoff against Ohio at Worthen Arena.
