Despite a close first half and the absence of Skip Mills and Chris Ames, Ball State University was able to defeat Prairie View A&M 65-48 on the back of a 15-point run in the second half.
The Cardinals (2-0) were down 33-32 when a Micah Rollen jump shot sparked what would become a 21-2 run that lasted nearly nine minutes.
"Everybody wasn't in tune from the start of the game," senior forward D'Andre Peyton said. "When we went to the locker room we talked about defense and how last game our defense put us where we needed to be."
In the first half, the Cardinals had two eight-point runs, but couldn't maintain the lead. They shot 11-30 from the floor in the first half. Coach Ronny Thompson said that he was frustrated with his team, and that Mills' presence was missed.
"I looked at him halfway through the game and smacked him on the head and said 'man, you got to get healthy,'" he said. "I just felt like throwing him in the game with his suit on. Things were just sputtering in the game in certain situations that Skip could have just gotten us through it."
Despite the fact that Mills was one of the top offensive players in the Mid-American Conference last year and the Cards' leading scorer, Thompson said he missed Mills most on the defensive end.
"Skip gives you every ounce of his energy defensively," Thompson said. "That's how I miss Chris [Ames] too. I miss his defensive energy more than anything he can do offensively. Do I miss his offense? Yes. I miss his presence, his strength. I miss things like that more than his ability to knock down shots."
The Cardinals came out after halftime and traded the lead a few times with the Panthers (1-2) before the 21-2 run.
"Our defense isn't going to always take balls right off the bat," Thompson said. "Sometimes our defense is going to wear them down and wear them down, and I think that's what happened. I thought they got a little tired of the pressure and the press."
Much of the difference came on the free-throw line for the Cardinals, as they hit 15-of-17 from the stripe while the Panthers shot 3-of-9.
"When you go to the basket hard, they were playing kind of loose, you just got to give them an upfake and go to the basket, they're going to foul you. So you go to the line and make your baskets," Peyton said.
Peyton, junior Steve Horton and sophomore Jalon Perryman all had 13 points, while sophomore Anthony Newell added 10. Freshman Rashaun McLemore led the team with seven rebounds and had six points.
"We did this by committee," Thompson said. "I have been trying to challenge Rashaun and Jalon, because I think the two of them have a lot in their tank that they're not displaying. And I have been on them so badly lately, and I was really glad to see them respond to it."
Perryman said that he was able to get his offense going through other devices.
"I just try not to go into the game looking for my shot, I try to do other things," he said. "I tried to rebound more in the second half and that's what brought the offense and energy into the game."
The Cardinals won their second game by double figures, the first time since 1997 that Ball State has opened the season with back-to-back double-figure wins.
After a quick rest on Monday, the Cardinals return to action Tuesday home against Chattanooga before traveling to Las Vegas and Washington D.C. over the break.
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