The hits just keep on coming for Ball State University.
The Cardinals' latest heartbreaker came Saturday night in a 51-48 loss in their BracketBuster game at Eastern Kentucky University.
Trailing 49-48 with 16.6 seconds to go, Ball State (5-21, 4-9 Mid-American Conference) put the ball in the hands of junior forward Anthony Newell for a jump shot. Newell's shot rimmed out and the Cardinals fell short again.
"Anthony Newell got a great look and got exactly the shot we wanted," Ball State coach Billy Taylor said in a press release. "It was an eight-foot jumper from the player we wanted and from the place we wanted. Unfortunately, it did not go in."
The missed shot completed the night for Newell, who shot 3 of 15 from the field, scoring six points.
However, the junior did grab 11 rebounds to lead Ball State, which outrebounded the Colonels 37-20, its highest rebounding margin of the season.
The Cardinals took a 48-47 lead with 35.2 seconds to play on a backdoor play from junior Brandon Lampley to senior Peyton Stovall.
It was Stovall's final shot attempt in a game he scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Stovall has tallied double digits in points in four-straight games.
"Peyton Stovall gave us a great effort in his scoring and rebounding," Taylor said in the press release.
Freshman Rashaun McLemore added seven points, while Newell and Lampley each contributed six points. Sophomore walk-on Dexter Hinkley notched career highs in both points, with four, and rebounds, with five.
"Our kids played hard," Taylor said in the press release. "We received tremendous support off the bench from Brandon Lampley and Dexter Hinkley."
Ball State trailed the majority of the contest, taking their first lead at 41-39 on a Newell layup with 5:34 remaining. The teams took turns holding the lead the remainder of the game.
The Colonels (14-13, 10-8 Ohio Valley Conference) were led by forward Mike Rose, who scored 17 points. Eastern Kentucky also got double-figure scoring from the other two members of its starting frontcourt, as Josh Taylor scored 13 and Darnell Dialls added 11.
Ball State hurt itself with 16 turnovers, including four by freshman guard Melvin Goins, who went scoreless for the second time all season. The Cardinals entered the game averaging 12.4 turnovers a game.
The Cardinals' six road losses since the calendar turned to 2008 have come by a total of 21 points. Ball State will next hit the road on Saturday when it visits Eastern Michigan University.
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