MAC West Division standings
Toledo 7-3
Central Michigan 6-4
Western Michigan 5-5
Eastern Michigan 3-7
Northern Illinois 3-7
Ball State 2-8
The Ball State men's basketball team's late-game rally fell short in a 72-61 home loss against Toledo on Saturday, after another subpar first half led to a halftime deficit.
“There were six, seven, or eight mistakes we made [defensively] to where it was hard for me to watch,” said Ball State head coach James Whitford. “There’s [no excuses] that can justify the way we played in the first half.”
The Cardinals are 2-8 in the Mid-American Conference, after starting 2-0.
In its last two outings Ball State failed in completing a comeback after trailing by 10 or more at halftime.
The Cardinals cut a 15-point deficit in the second half within two points in the final 10 seconds on Feb. 4, but the Bulls ultimately won 82-78.
Saturday’s loss to Toledo was different, as Ball State got within nine points on three different occasions in the second half, but Toledo pulled away to win by 11.
Whitford has seen signs of the team's full potential, but putting it together for a full 60 minutes has been a struggle.
“I thought in the second half we looked like ourselves against a really good team,” said Whitford. “We dug ourselves in such a deep hole in the first half that it was very hard to overcome.”
In the second half however, Ball State outscored Buffalo and Toledo 82-72, proving that they are capable of competing with any team in the MAC.
The Cardinals rank fifth in the conference in shooting at .361 percent. However, falling behind in the first half forces them to take more low-percentage shots and three-pointers.
Ball state has attempted 465 3-pointers on the season, shooting .360 from beyond the arc.
Turnovers and points allowed off turnovers plagued the Cardinals in their most recent contests. Against Buffalo and Toledo, 22 of their 30 turnovers have come in the first half.
Although Ball State is ranked 11th in the MAC in turnovers at 14.5 per contest, Whitford feels that will not be the issue for the Cardinals in the long run as it looks to end its eight-game losing streak.
“That has happened a couple of times as of late but that hasn’t been the story of our season,” said Whitford. “What has been the story of our season is giving up big runs.”
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