TOLEDO, Ohio -- When Ball State University has started games slow and fallen behind early this season, the Cardinals have found ways to get back into games and challenge for wins.
But in Sunday's road game against Toledo, Ball State's slow start ultimately led to a 27-point loss - the team's worst defeat of the season.
After the Cardinals scored the first basket of the game, a Jalon Perryman 3-pointer, the team would go on their longest scoring drought of the season. Ten minutes and eight turnovers later, Ball State was down 17-3 and it never got closer than nine points in the 81-54 loss.
The game was the 11th conference loss for Ball State this season, the most since the team finished the 1986-87 season with a 4-12 conference mark.
Coach Tim Buckley said the Cards must find a way to bring more energy at the tip-off.
"If you don't come in focused, it's very difficult to become refocused," Buckley said. "We've got to rely on [leadership] from all the guys that we have who are upperclassman."
Toledo (15-10 overall, 8-8 Mid-American Conference West) held junior Skip Mills to a season-low eight points and the guard didn't take a shot in the first half. Mills said other players have to take on a bigger role at the start of the game.
"Other guys on the team are going to have to start stepping up more and leading the team," Mills said. "It's just some of the young guys who have to listen more."
Mills, along with three other starters, were taken out of the game three minutes into the contest and Mills sat on the bench during long stretches of the first half. The guard played a season-low 25 minutes and Buckley said Mills has to step up as the team's leader.
"Skip is supposed to be a leader of our ball club and if we don't have it then we've got to try and find it," Buckley said.
Toledo's defense forced Ball State to commit a season-high 22 turnovers. Toledo guard Justin Ingram, who scored a game-high 18 points, said the Rockets' goal was to put the heat on Ball State's top scoring threat.
"We just wanted to keep a lot of fresh bodies on [Mills] and play aggressive and strong," Ingram said. "We wanted to limit his touches and make the shots he did take as difficult as possible."
Sunday's game was the first game for the Cardinals since the dismissal of senior Tom Howland. With the open spot on the roster, senior Anthony Kent played for the first time in 10 games, grabbing four rebounds in eight minutes of play.
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