First-year Ball State University coach Billy Taylor's Cardinals career did not get off to the smoothest of starts on Friday night.
In the first half of the Cardinals' season-opening game, Butler University out rebounded Ball State 21-15, including an 11-1 advantage at one point, jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game, and used a last-second three-pointer from Muncie native Pete Campbell to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room.
"Early on, we weren't blocking out," Taylor said. "They were beating us to loose balls. They were playing with more hustle."
The Cardinals were able to regroup and made a run early in the second half to pull within eight points but could get no closer, as Ball State fell 61-45 to open the Billy Taylor era.
"I don't think we were flat, but we came out so anxious that things were moving too fast," junior forward Anthony Newell said. "Me and Peyton [Stovall] need to do a better job of slowing down to start games."
The Cardinals made a 10-1 run to pull to within 39-31 with 11:44 to play, the closest they came to Butler in the final 30 minutes. Stovall spearheaded the run, scoring six of the 10 points, two of them coming on a steal and layup.
"As soon as we came out in the second half, right away I said, 'We're coming back,'" Stovall said. "I look to Newell for energy a lot. He was in foul trouble. I had to kind of create my own energy."
The Bulldogs responded to Ball State with an 11-two run of their own. Campbell, who would lead Butler with 17 points, hit three of his five treys during the run. The Cardinals did not threaten after that.
Ball State shot one of 14 from three-point range, compared to 8 of 22 for Butler.
"We were just so anxious out there, shooting the ball over the rim sometimes," Newell said. "You can't come out like that. You've got to come out patient."
Taylor said he was unhappy with his team's shot selection in the first half that put Ball State in a 14-point hole at halftime.
"We got ourselves out of rhythm offensively in the first half with the shots we took," Taylor said. "You give credit to Butler's defense, but I don't think they really forced us to take some of those bad shots. We took a lot of quick, contested jump shots."
Taylor said he thought the Ball State team that was able to play more evenly with Butler in the second half and it was more representative of the Cardinals team fans will see down the line. Butler out scored the Cardinals 30-28 in the second half.
"We fought, we showed more patience, and that was more like the Ball State team I would expect to see every single night," Taylor said.
Ball State out rebound Butler 16-9 in the second half, led again by Stovall, who grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to go with his 13 points.
"We can't make Newell and Malik [Perry] do all the work," Stovall said. "Us guards have to get scrappy and grab some rebounds."
The game, which the Ball State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics promoted as "Opening Night at Worthen Arena", drew 7,331 fans, nearly 3,000 of which packed Ball State's student section, The Nest.
"I think it's going to be a hard thing for people to come in here," first-year Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens said. "You could tell their guys played real hard, played really together."
Taylor said the crowd's excitement made him hoarse by game's end.
"We had a great crowd today," Taylor said. "I lost my voice a little bit."
Despite the Cardinals' loss, Stovall was intent on delivering a pointed message to Ball State students.
"Keep coming," Stovall said. "Because we will win."
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