Like last year's matchup in Worthen Arena, Buffalo stampeded past Ball State in the second half, and the Cardinals could not muster the offense to hold off the Bulls.
Ball State (12-9, 7-6 Mid-American Conference) held a 30-26 lead at halftime and was up by seven early in the second half, but poor shooting (35 percent) and defensive breakdowns eventually did the Cardinals in at Alumni Arena. It was the team's third loss in a row.
"We played a very good first half with a lot of energy and passion," BSU coach Tim Buckley said. "In the second half, we have to do a better job of battling. When Buffalo made the momentum plays in the second half, unfortunately we didn't execute the game plan."
The Cards overcame an early 17-6 deficit with a 15-2 run, and Dennis Trammell's putback had BSU up 36-29 with 16:18 remaining.
But the Bulls (15-7, 8-6) stormed back. Calvin Cage's second 3-pointer followed by an alley-oop to Mark Bortz tied the game at 48, and Yassin Idbihi's putback on two possessions later gave the Bulls the lead for good with 9:29 left.
"When something like that happens, you have to stick together as a team," sophomore point guard Peyton Stovall said of Bortz's dunk. "It was a momentum play that changed the game."
Buffalo led 59-54 when Ball State made its last push. Terrance Chapman drove into the paint for a bucket, and Peyton Stovall took a rebound coast-to-coast with 3:12 left. However, the Cards failed to score again.
Idbihi scored down low, and after Stovall missed a jumper, Turner Battle spun his away in for a layup with 1:23 to go. Idbihi added another putback and Battle hit a pair of free throws to secure the victory for Buffalo.
The Cardinals missed their last six shots, including four three-point attempts. They did not shoot a free throw in the second half.
"We had good looks," Buckley said. "We need to work on making jump shots late in games when we are fatigued. It also would have been helpful to get to the free-throw line in the second half."
Battle scored 14, and Bortz had 13; they each handed out four assists. Bortz did not start, but he and Idbihi led a strong inside game that the Cards never really contained. Calvin Cage and Mario Jordan also came off the bench and added 10 apiece.
The Cardinals had just six turnovers, but the Bulls owned a commanding 46-29 rebounding advantage. Idbihi led the way with 12.
Stovall finished with 17, but he did so on 7-of-20 shooting. He made just three of 13 on three-point attempts. Chapman (five of 14) added 12 points, and Skip Mills added 10. Trammell shot just three of 11 and finished with seven points.
With the loss, Ball State stands fourth in the MAC West, a half-game behind Bowling Green and Toledo. The Cardinals are at Bowling Green on Wednesday.
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