Coach Tim Buckley looked at his star player during the pre-game run-through Tuesday afternoon and saw a player determined to excel in that evening's game against Buffalo.
After Ball State's lackluster effort in a loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Buckley challenged junior Skip Mills to lead his teammates through example.
Mills responded to his coach's message by pouring in a career-high 27 points, 18 in the first half alone, while pushing the Cardinals passed the Bulls 67-60.
"[Mills] had that laser look going through that workout and he was magnificent," Buckley said. "He's a prideful guy. He wanted to be the guy to lead this team tonight."
Mills shot 10-of-16 from the field, five coming from beyond-the-arc. The game was the second straight that Ball State's opponent has played zone defense, trying to keep the Cards out-of-paint and forcing them to rely on 3-pointers. Mills, who had made only 3-of-25 from 3-point land in the past six games, said he was better prepared this time to play against the zone.
"I was just ready to shoot the 3 because I just knew they were going to go zone," Mills said. "It was just a confidence thing really. I know I'm a good shooter."
Ball State (8-12 overall, 4-8 MAC West) fell behind 14-12 with less than 10 minutes to play in the first half. The Cardinals, however, used an 8-0 run to put the team up 20-14 and Ball State never relinquished the lead.
Buffalo (15-8 overall, 5-7 MAC East) battled turnover problems all game. The Bulls tied their season-high with 29 turnovers, nearly double the amount the Cardinals had for the game, and Ball State capitalized by scoring 33 points off turnovers. Bulls coach Reggie Witherspoon said his team, who has lost four games in a row, caused the turnovers, not Ball State's defense.
"We had some very, very poor decisions," Witherspoon said. "We've had a bad spurt of turning the ball over."
Senior Tom Howland started his first game of the season, replacing junior Charles Bass in the lineup. Howland and freshman Pat Nelson were given the assignment of guarding 6-foot-10 big man Yassin Idbihi who finished the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Idbihi's points didn't come from the paint, which was a goal Buckley had given to his centers before the game.
"We had to step up, make him earn if from the line which he did a good job of," Howland said of Idbihi's 10-of-12 free-throw shooting. "I think we did a really good job of keeping him out of [the paint]."
Freshman Maurice Acker continued to struggle from the field, shooting 4-of-13, but he still poured in 15 points and dished out six assists.
Freshman Jalon Perryman added seven points and a career-high five assists. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
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