Senior Majok Majok scored 12 first half points.
Freshman Zavier Turner missed his second free throw of the season and was held scoreless in the first half.
Freshman Mark Alstork earned his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Ball State lost its first road game in the Mid-American Conference to Kent State. Tonight’s 74-86 loss moved the Cardinals’ record to 3-10 on the season.
The Cardinals are now 0-2 in MAC play and are still winless on the road, staying put at 0-7.
Ball State opened the game with 8 points from senior Majok Majok. The Cardinals would see its lead grow to as much as 11, charging behind its all-MAC center in the first half.
The Cardinals led 39-32 after the first 20 minutes of play. Majok would go on to finish with 14 points and seven rebounds, which snapped his streak of three games with a double-double.
Senior forward Tyler Koch played one of his best games of the season, knocking down two three-pointers early in the first half. Koch played 13 minutes of the bench, going 2-2 from the field while handing out three assists.
Freshman guard Mark Alstork earned his first double-double and also scored, assisted and rebounded at a high level. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists.
Ball State controlled the first half by causing foul trouble and turnovers for Kent State. Once the second half hit, things went downhill for the Cardinals.
The Golden Flashes would regain the lead with11:17 in the game. The team never looked back.
Nothing went right for Ball State after opening the game with an 11-point lead. Porous defense, turnovers and missed shots in the paint hurt the Cardinals in the second half.
Although the Cardinals outrebounded and handed out more assists, the team’s turnovers caught up.
Freshman guard Zavier Turner, the nation’s leading free-throw shooter, missed his second free throw of the year as he split a pair of bonus free throws in the first half. Turner is now 95 percent (38-40) for free throws. Turner would finish the game with 12 points, three assists and four turnovers.
Ball State travels to Athens, Ohio, to play a tougher opponent Wednesday in a matchup against the Ohio Bobcats, who sit at 11-3 on the year.
This game will mark the third straight MAC East team Ball State plays against. The Cardinals return home Saturday to host the Miami, another MAC East opponent.
The Cardinals do not play its first MAC West game until Jan. 26 when the team travels to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face Western Michigan.
First half
Ball State led Kent State at the half 39-32. The Cardinals scored efficiently — shooting 60.9 percent.
Ball State opened up the game with 8 quick points from senior Majok Majok. He managed 12 points in the first half.
Freshman guard Mark Alstork also led the Cardinals. Alstork had 9 points, despite failing to convert a four-point play.
Kent State committed eight turnovers which led to 11 points for Ball State. Ball State committed 11 turnovers after committing 15 against Akron on Wednesday.
The nation’s leading free throw shooter, Ball State freshman Zavier Turner, missed his second free throw of the year on the front end of a one-and-one.
Ball State came into Saturday’s matchup averaging 12.9 assists per game. The Cardinals handed out 10 in the half.
Second half
Nothing went right for the Cardinals after opening the game with an 11-point lead. Porous defense, turnovers and missed shots in the paint really hurt Ball State in the second half.
Ball State lost the lead at the 11:17 mark, which eventually led to a 14-0 run for Kent State. However, Alstork played well all around, especially in the second half. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to notch his first career double-double.
Turner continued to struggle as he finished with 12 points, three assists and four turnovers.
The Cardinals gave up 26 points off turnovers.
Majok finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, ending his three-game double-double streak.
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