The Bulls came out stampeding after halftime, and Ball State did little to keep from getting trampled.
Buffalo connected on 8-of-12 from long range in the second half against the best 3-point defense in the Mid-American Conference and handed Ball State its third-straight defeat, 84-75, Sunday in Worthen Arena. The surging Bulls (8-9 overall, 4-5 MAC) won their third straight.
Ball State coach Tim Buckley blamed himself for the Cards' poor effort, particularly in the second half.
"I'm totally responsible; I didn't have them ready to play," Buckley said. "We didn't represent anything Ball State basketball is about. We didn't have any fire or energy. Had we had that, we would've been getting loose balls.
"It's very difficult to pinpoint (what's most disheartening) because they beat us many different phases."
However, Dennis Trammell felt that blame also needed to fall on the older players.
"The upperclassmen, we got to take full responsibility for that as leaders," Trammell said. He and fellow junior guard Matt McCollom each scored 11 points but combined to shoot just 8 of 24. "It's a big setback; we know we're far better than this."
In the game's decisive stretch, Buffalo hit five 3-pointers, outscored the Cards 22-2 and took a 73-55 lead with 5:35 remaining. Turner Battle hit three of those treys on his way to a game-high 20 points.
"We just didn't do what we had to do to stop them," McCollom said. "We've got to talk. When someone scores twice, they can't score that third time. We have to do something to stop them."
Ball State led 40-32 at halftime, but a trio of Jason Bird 3-pointers helped Buffalo take a 51-50 advantage. A putback for a 3-point play by Terrance Chapman gave BSU it's last lead before a Battle trey started the Bulls' big run.
"This afternoon, we really opened things up," Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "We shot the ball without hesitation. We knew we were open before we caught the ball.
"We like to celebrate every time we win. It's hard to get a statement win because all the programs in the conference are good. It's a great win because it's a great program."
Buckley agreed, saying "They were squared up and ready to shoot. Our defense was late getting there. If we don't defend or rebound, we're not going to shoot well."
BSU made just four of its first 20 shots in the second half. Skip Mills scored six points and Trammell five in a 15-4 run that brought the Cards within 77-70 at the 1:14 mark, but the Bulls made enough free throws to secure the victory.
Robert Owens led Ball State with 14 points, but five came in the final minute. Fellow senior Cameron Echols had just four on 2-of-10 shooting. Chapman recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds), but the Bulls out-rebounded the Cards 48-40, including 27-16 in the second half.
"Robert and Cam, the clock's ticking for them," Buckley said. "There's not too may opportunities left in collegiate basketball."
"I think it's just disappointing given the way we've been playing and fighting," McCollom added. "Us upperclassmen, we've got to set the tone."
While Buckley was disappointed with his leaders, he was happy to have sophomore center Tom Howland back after missing five games with a partially dislocated kneecap.
"I'm really excited (for Tom)," Buckley. "I wish he could've played more, but I thought he was terrific."
The 6-10 backup recorded four points, four rebounds and two blocks in 11 minutes.
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