Wednesday, November 25
Highland Heights, KY
6 p.m.
Ball State University
0-1,0-0MAC
73
at
74
Northern Kentucky
1-0,0-0Horizon
1
2
F
Ball St.
41
32
73
Northern Ky.
44
30
74
Walton Drops Career High 28 In Season-Opening Loss
November 25, 2020 | Men's Basketball
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - K.J. Walton looked like he hadn't missed a beat. After a long lay-off, the senior guard scored a career-high 28 points but Northern Kentucky was one step ahead as the Cardinals fell 74-73 in the season opener Wednesday night.
Walton, a starter in 2018-19, was limited by injuries to 10 games last season. Then, a late start to this season meant he hadn't played in nearly 11 months. It didn't look like it as Walton shot 11-for-21 and grabbed 11 rebounds while playing his usual stifling defense.Â
TURNING POINT: The game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than seven points at any point. Northern Kentucky, last year's Horizon League champion, led 44-41 at the half and Ball State seemed to take control when it led 68-62 on a Walton lay-up with 5:44 left. The game hinged on a pair of 3-pointers by NKU in the final 100 seconds. Adham Eleeda hit a 3-pointer on a second chance with 1:40 left that erased a 70-67 lead for BSU. The Cardinals led 73-71 in the final minute when Bryson Langdon hit a 3-pointer - again on a second-chance possession - with 22 seconds left. Ball State would have a couple looks from the perimeter but couldn't convert.
FROM THE COACH: "It was a great game and it was great to be playing," head coach James Whitford said. "We were thankful for then chance to be out on the court. I thought we did a lot of good things, but obviously we didn't finish it. We ran out of gas physically. What really cost us was on the glass, especially on free throws. No shame in the effort. Our guys competed and played hard. it's a step in the right direction. In time, we're going to be very good."
NEWCOMERS' FIRST ACTION: Two new Cardinals saw their first action in uniform, with Jalen Windham scoring five points in 10 minutes. Teemu Suokas played three minutes, becoming the first European-born player to ever see the court for Ball State. Â
RELATED: Our Team Is On The Floor
Ishmael El-Amin scored 15 points and Miryne Thomas - making his first career start at Ball State - scored nine. Blake Huggins, a 6-10 center, played his best game as a Cardinal, totaling eight rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. He played 12 minutes all of last season. Kani Acree had career highs in minutes (28) and assists (5) and Zach Gunn, who also battled injury last year, hit two 3-pointers off the bench. Ten different players saw at least six minutes of action for Ball State.Â
Adrian Nelson of NKU grabbed 19 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. Four players from the home team scored in double figures, led by Trevon Faulkner with 17 points.
The game was a rematch of a close game played in Muncie last year. NKU, which finished with a 23-9 record, edged BSU 59-57 last year. Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns was formerly the president at Northern Kentucky, serving there from 2012-17 before coming to BSU.
UP NEXT: Ball State is scheduled to play at Michigan Wednesday, Dec. 2. BSU's home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. UIC. Cardinals fans can continue to follow along on Twitter and on Instagram.
Walton, a starter in 2018-19, was limited by injuries to 10 games last season. Then, a late start to this season meant he hadn't played in nearly 11 months. It didn't look like it as Walton shot 11-for-21 and grabbed 11 rebounds while playing his usual stifling defense.Â
TURNING POINT: The game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than seven points at any point. Northern Kentucky, last year's Horizon League champion, led 44-41 at the half and Ball State seemed to take control when it led 68-62 on a Walton lay-up with 5:44 left. The game hinged on a pair of 3-pointers by NKU in the final 100 seconds. Adham Eleeda hit a 3-pointer on a second chance with 1:40 left that erased a 70-67 lead for BSU. The Cardinals led 73-71 in the final minute when Bryson Langdon hit a 3-pointer - again on a second-chance possession - with 22 seconds left. Ball State would have a couple looks from the perimeter but couldn't convert.
FROM THE COACH: "It was a great game and it was great to be playing," head coach James Whitford said. "We were thankful for then chance to be out on the court. I thought we did a lot of good things, but obviously we didn't finish it. We ran out of gas physically. What really cost us was on the glass, especially on free throws. No shame in the effort. Our guys competed and played hard. it's a step in the right direction. In time, we're going to be very good."
NEWCOMERS' FIRST ACTION: Two new Cardinals saw their first action in uniform, with Jalen Windham scoring five points in 10 minutes. Teemu Suokas played three minutes, becoming the first European-born player to ever see the court for Ball State. Â
RELATED: Our Team Is On The Floor
Ishmael El-Amin scored 15 points and Miryne Thomas - making his first career start at Ball State - scored nine. Blake Huggins, a 6-10 center, played his best game as a Cardinal, totaling eight rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. He played 12 minutes all of last season. Kani Acree had career highs in minutes (28) and assists (5) and Zach Gunn, who also battled injury last year, hit two 3-pointers off the bench. Ten different players saw at least six minutes of action for Ball State.Â
Adrian Nelson of NKU grabbed 19 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. Four players from the home team scored in double figures, led by Trevon Faulkner with 17 points.
The game was a rematch of a close game played in Muncie last year. NKU, which finished with a 23-9 record, edged BSU 59-57 last year. Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns was formerly the president at Northern Kentucky, serving there from 2012-17 before coming to BSU.
UP NEXT: Ball State is scheduled to play at Michigan Wednesday, Dec. 2. BSU's home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. UIC. Cardinals fans can continue to follow along on Twitter and on Instagram.
Team Stats
BSU
NKU
FG%
.438
.415
3FG%
.261
.286
FT%
.524
.522
RB
39
43
TO
9
9
STL
7
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
28
FGM
11
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
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