Western Michigan University used seven straight points to end the first half to spark it to a 71-45 win against Ball State University Wednesday night, evening the all-time series between the two teams at 53 wins apiece.
The 45 points ties Ball State's lowest point total of the season. The Cardinals also scored 45 against Butler University in their season opener.
"The thing I'm most disappointed about is our effort," Cardinals' coach Billy Taylor said. "Our effort wasn't there at the level it needed to be. Even when we got down, I'm used to seeing our guys fight to get back in the ball game. We never gave ourselves a chance."
The loss was Ball State's fifth straight to the Broncos, who were led by forward Joe Reitz, who had 15 points.
The Cardinals, who fell to 2-13, 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference, made one field goal in a 16:49 span of the game, allowing the Broncos to build their lead to as much as 28 points. Ball State never led in the contest and shot a season-low 23 percent from the field.
"It was a lot of missed shots," junior forward Anthony Newell said after scoring a season-low 13 points. "We just didn't come ready. Point-blank, that's what it was."
Ball State received 14 points from players besides Newell and senior guard Peyton Stovall, equaling the total that the group scored against the University of Toledo in a losing effort. However, Stovall said that the blame for that fell on himself and his fellow captain.
"Me and Newell together shot terrible," Stovall said. "Seven for 24, that has nothing to do with the bench. That's us coming not ready to play."
Newell, who was held to five first-half points on 1-of-6 shooting, said he was not aggressive enough at the beginning of the game.
"I have to come out a little more aggressive than that," Newell said. "That was my fault. I blame myself for that."
Taylor said his team was too comfortable after its first league win of the season Sunday.
"Our guys didn't respond in the right manner coming out against an elite ball club," Taylor said. "It may be a lack of maturity on our part, that we just don't know how yet, but we got a strong lesson tonight."
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