MAC West Division standings
Team Conference Overall
Central Michigan 8-4 18-5
Toledo 8-4 16-9
Western Michigan 6-6 15-10
Eastern Michigan 5-7 16-9
Northern Illinois 4-8 10-13
Ball State 2-10 7-16
After suffering its 10th straight loss, Ball State men's basketball head coach James Whitford said defense is his biggest worry moving forward.
“[Bowling Green] shot well from 3, but my greatest concern for us is our inability to defend in the paint,” Whitford said. “The ability to defend around the rim is our biggest issue ... They shot 60 percent at the rim.”
Mid-American Conference East leader Bowling Green made 50.9 percent of its field-goal attempts and 44.4 percent from behind the arc in a 14-point victory over Ball State.
The Cardinals are ranked 11th in the conference in field goal defense percentage at .454 percent. Six of the Cardinals’ last eight opponents have shot 50 percent or better against them.
One reason for the struggling Ball State defense has been the absence of senior center Matt Kamieniecki to defend the post.
Kamieniecki has missed three straight games and five of the last seven.
“My greatest concern is for us being who we are, our ability to defend the paint,” Whitford said. “It’s a much bigger issue for us than defending the three, especially with Kamiemiecki out.”
Whitford said he could have played Kamieniecki against the Falcons, but his return will be a joint decision between those two and the training staff.
The Cardinals have been forced to play more defensive possessions due to their trouble in taking care of the ball.
Ball State is 10th in the conference with a -2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Whitford said junior Jeremiah Davis and sophomore Zavier Turner were “over-dribbling” in the first half against the Falcons, combining for three assists and three turnovers
Turner was able to pick up the slack in the second half, finishing with five assists.
“I thought Zavier [Turner] played the right way in the second half,” Whitford said. “You have to have good guard play, and I thought he played good in the second half.”
With six games before the MAC tournament, the Cardinals remain focused on improving before the start of the postseason.
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