Friday, February 3
Muncie, Ind.
9:00 PM ET
Ball State University
15-8 (6-4MAC)
69
vs
96
Buffalo
11-12 (5-5MAC)
1
2
F
Buffalo
44
52
96
Ball State
38
31
69
Photo by: Lauren Hunter
Men’s Basketball Falls to Buffalo
February 04, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Franko House scores career-high 24 points in loss
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Franko House scored a career-high 24 points Friday night, but the Ball State men's basketball team suffered a 96-69 loss to Buffalo at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals, who reached the top of the Mid-American Conference West Division standings by winning six of their previous seven games, couldn't keep up with Buffalo in the second half.
"They played really hard, and they played really well," Ball State coach James Whitford said. "They out-played us, they out-toughed us, and they made a lot of shots. You put all three of those together, that's what led to the outcome."
It was a six-point game at halftime, but Buffalo outscored the Cardinals 52-31 in the second half to even the season series between the teams. Ball State (15-8, 6-4 MAC) was a 92-77 winner over the Bulls on the road last month.
In Friday's game, Buffalo shot 50 percent from the floor and connected on 11 of 24 from 3-point range. The Bulls beat the Cardinals on the glass 39-27 and turned 18 BSU turnovers into 30 points.
"I thought their toughness was one part of the story," Whitford said. "I thought the other was that we were way too impatient on offense. Our 18 turnovers were a product of trying to make plays on one or two or three passes."
Buffalo (11-12, 5-5 MAC) opened up a double-digit lead less than three minutes into the second half and maintained it the rest of the way. Blake Hamilton paced the Bulls with 25 points, while Nick Perkins scored 21, including 17 in the first half.
"(Hamilton) is playing at an incredibly high level right now," Whitford said. "He's a handful, and we didn't have an answer for him."
House came out of the gates quickly, scoring nine points before the first media timeout. He went on to score 19 of his 24 points in the first half. Tayler Persons joined him in double figures with 15 points, while Trey Moses pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Ball State shot 48 percent for the game but made only 4 of 15 from the 3-point line. The Cardinals finished with 14 fewer attempts from the floor than Buffalo because of the high turnover number and the Bulls' 13-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Friday's game was the last of three straight at home for the Cardinals, who will head on the road to play Tuesday at Akron. They will return home Friday, Feb. 10 to host Ohio for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff on CBS Sports Network.
The Cardinals, who reached the top of the Mid-American Conference West Division standings by winning six of their previous seven games, couldn't keep up with Buffalo in the second half.
"They played really hard, and they played really well," Ball State coach James Whitford said. "They out-played us, they out-toughed us, and they made a lot of shots. You put all three of those together, that's what led to the outcome."
It was a six-point game at halftime, but Buffalo outscored the Cardinals 52-31 in the second half to even the season series between the teams. Ball State (15-8, 6-4 MAC) was a 92-77 winner over the Bulls on the road last month.
In Friday's game, Buffalo shot 50 percent from the floor and connected on 11 of 24 from 3-point range. The Bulls beat the Cardinals on the glass 39-27 and turned 18 BSU turnovers into 30 points.
"I thought their toughness was one part of the story," Whitford said. "I thought the other was that we were way too impatient on offense. Our 18 turnovers were a product of trying to make plays on one or two or three passes."
Buffalo (11-12, 5-5 MAC) opened up a double-digit lead less than three minutes into the second half and maintained it the rest of the way. Blake Hamilton paced the Bulls with 25 points, while Nick Perkins scored 21, including 17 in the first half.
"(Hamilton) is playing at an incredibly high level right now," Whitford said. "He's a handful, and we didn't have an answer for him."
House came out of the gates quickly, scoring nine points before the first media timeout. He went on to score 19 of his 24 points in the first half. Tayler Persons joined him in double figures with 15 points, while Trey Moses pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Ball State shot 48 percent for the game but made only 4 of 15 from the 3-point line. The Cardinals finished with 14 fewer attempts from the floor than Buffalo because of the high turnover number and the Bulls' 13-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
Friday's game was the last of three straight at home for the Cardinals, who will head on the road to play Tuesday at Akron. They will return home Friday, Feb. 10 to host Ohio for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff on CBS Sports Network.
Team Stats
UB
BSU
FG%
.500
.481
3FG%
.458
.267
FT%
.864
.625
RB
39
27
TO
11
18
STL
6
2
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
10
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
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