Junior Skip Mills is crying out for help.
After Wednesday's loss to Buffalo, the seventh in a row for Ball State University, Mills said his teammates must step up in order for the team to be successful.
Mills was the only Cardinal to hit a field goal in the last 13 minutes of the game against Buffalo and he's been the only consistent scorer for the team all season, averaging 19.4 points per game.
Ball State (4-9 overall, 0-5 Mid-American Conference West) has been searching for scoring from other players since Peyton Stovall's injury, and Mills wants balanced scoring starting with Saturday's home game with Bowling Green (7-8 overall, 3-2 MAC East).
Junior D'Andre Peyton and freshman Maurice Acker have increased their scoring, shooting percentages and almost every aspect of their games. Peyton, who has gone from averaging 7.4 ppg during eight non-conference games to 12.8 ppg during five MAC games, said he's picked up the slack to relieve some pressure off Mills.
"I've put pressure on myself to help take some of the scoring load off Skip," Peyton said. "At the beginning of the season I was looking to pass first and I wasn't looking to score. Now, I want the ball in my hands and to get good shots for not only myself but my teammates."
Acker's play gets better with each passing game and he torched Buffalo on Wednesday for his first career double-double, scoring 15 points while handing out 10 assists. Because he's only 5-foot-8, the point guard relies on his speed to get close to the basket, which opens up teammates along the perimeter.
Acker said he's finally feeling comfortable with his role on the team.
"It's taken a while to get adjusted to knowing how everyone plays but I'm feeling real confident with my play lately," said Acker, who is averaging seven more points per game since the beginning of MAC play. "I'm trying to do my part on the team but there's still a lot more that needs to be done. "
Juniors Charles Bass and Chris Ames have been in foul trouble for nearly every MAC game and both of their shooting percentages and scoring averages have slipped.
Although Ball State's five opponents own a combined 23-3 conference record, Acker said the team has to look within itself and not blame the losses on tough competition.
"Every team is going to be a tough team to play against so we can't blame anyone but ourselves," Acker said. "To get a win we have to play a complete game and everybody has to put together a group effort. Until then, we'll keep on being disappointed with our play."
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