Ball State University
7-10(2-4MAC)
Kent State
14-5 (5-1MAC)
Men's Hoops Falls to Kent State, 63-52
January 24, 2015 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team suffered a 63-52 home loss Saturday to Kent State in Mid-American Conference action.
Jimmy Hall scored 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting to lead the Golden Flashes (14-5, 5-1 MAC), which won for the fifth straight game.
Ball State (7-10, 2-4 MAC) played without senior center Matt Kamieniecki, who missed his first start of the season because of a back injury. Led by Hall's effort, Kent State attacked the paint without Kamieniecki's presence.
"Obviously, Jimmy Hall crushed us," Ball State coach James Whitford said. "We really missed Matt Kamieniecki. Statistically speaking, where he really helps our team is defense and rebounding. He's great at both of them. That would have been his job tonight, and not having him on Jimmy Hall hurt us."
Sean Sellers led Ball State with 16 points and six rebounds, while Franko House finished with 13 points, five boards and four assists. Bo Calhoun reached double figures for the second straight game with 12 points.
A layup from House put the Cardinals on top 21-20 with 5:22 to play in the first half, but Kent State closed out the half on a 12-2 run to take a 32-23 lead into the break. Ball State closed within five early in the second half but could not get any closer.
Kent State shot 50 percent or better in both halves and finished the game shooting 21 for 35 (60 percent) from inside the arc. The Golden Flashes had a 36-26 advantage in the paint.
"I thought Kent State played a really good game. My hat's off to them; I thought they were really well prepared," Whitford said. "They're very good defensively. We knew that coming into the game, but their length creates problems. We were able to get the ball inside quite a bit, and it's just not easy to score when you do."
Ball State finished the game at 42.6 percent from the floor and shot an uncharacteristic 4-for-17 from 3-point range. The Cardinals also had 16 turnovers to 10 for Kent State.
Ball State will head back on the road for two league games next week, starting with a Tuesday contest at Akron. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
