In the first four games of the season, the Ball State University men's basketball team has prided itself on the ability to produce in the paint and to rebound in both defensive and offensive opportunities.
Game five Saturday against visiting Arkansas State University saw a lapse in both, and the Cardinals lost 54-53.
Arkansas State out-rebounded Ball State 46-30 - including a 17-11 Red Wolves advantage on the offensive glass.
"Obviously, this game was decided in the paint," coach Billy Taylor said. "Something that we talked about before the game [was] that we needed to control the paint and we needed to take care of our defensive glass, and unfortunately, we didn't do those two things."
Starting forwards, sophomore Malik Perry and freshman Jarrod Jones, were a combined 0-for-12 shooting in the game.
Arkansas State coach John Brady said he was pleased with his team's effort against Jones, who entered leading Ball State with an 18 points per game average.
"[Jones] doesn't scratch, and that was a key for us to be able to guard him like that," Brady said.
Despite their troubles down low, the Cardinals (3-2) had a nine-point lead in the second half, and when Arkansas State came back to take the lead, Ball State had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds.
Senior guard Brandon Lampley's drive and shot with two seconds remaining in the game was short, and the Red Wolves added their final rebound to put the game away.
Lampley - who had a career-high 18 points - said he was not the first option on the final play.
"We wanted to go inside to Anthony [Newell], but they had him trapped in the corner," Lampley said. "So I got the ball back and I was just going to try to make a play."
Ball State scored its first field goal at the 14:21 mark in the first half. The Cardinals were down as much as five points in the half, but a Lampley free throw with 4:24 remaining gave Ball State the lead for the remainder of the first and took a 32-27 lead going into halftime.
A layup by senior guard Laron Frazier at the 15:28 mark gave Ball State a nine-point second half lead, but the Red Wolves (4-1) slowly chipped away before tying the game at 44 with 6:33 remaining.
Arkansas State took the lead for good on a JeJuan Brown layup with 1:30 remaining in the game.
With an opportunity to tie the game at 54, senior forward Anthony Newell missed the second end of two free throws. After a missed Red Wolves free throw, Lampley missed the final shot in the remaining seconds.
Arkansas State benefitted from a career-outing from forward Eric McKinney. McKinney had a game-high 20 points and 16 rebounds.
"That's the best he's played by far," Brady said. "To get 20 points and 16 rebounds, that was just a great night for him."
Newell said McKinney took a simple approach on Saturday.
"He was just an angles post player, so he just worked for angles. If we gave him an angle, he finished," said Newell, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds. "We gave him a little too much."
The Cardinals return to action tonight as they travel to IPFW. The Mastodons (3-2) are coming off a last-second 76-74 win over Eastern Illinois University on Saturday - the same Eastern Illinois squad Ball State defeated 72-59 in its season opener on Nov. 15.
Taylor said he hopes his team will be back to form against IPFW after the loss to Arkansas State.
"I think that was two very good defensive teams, a very physical game, obviously back and forth the whole way," Taylor said. "If we make a shot and a free throw here or there, then it's a different outcome."
During the break
- Cardinals go 1-1 during the Thanksgiving Break
- Ball State defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-69 on Tuesday. Four Cardinals reached double-figures in scoring numbers, led by Jarrod Jones' 18 points and Brandon Lampley's then-career high-tying 15 points.
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