Ball State (0-1) fell 82-71 in its season opener against Georgia Southern (1-0) Nov. 9. After entering halftime tied at 41, the Cardinals were outscored 41-30 in the second half.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night's loss.
Bumbalough has career night, Windham steps up
Junior guard Luke Bumbalough scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He made a team-high five 3-pointers, including four in the first half. He led Ball State in minutes played (34).
In 24 minutes off the bench, junior guard Jalen Windham finished with 12 points, two shy of his career-high. He converted three 3-pointers, second for the Cardinals behind Bumbalough. Windham also notched two steals, which tied for a team-high.
Turnovers plague the Cardinals
Ball State committed 17 turnovers, with 15 from the starting five. Junior guard Tyler Cochran finished with 7 points and six turnovers. Freshman center Payton Sparks tallied a team-high 12 rebounds, but committed four turnovers.
Georgia Southern scored 21 points off turnovers. The Eagles totaled 12 steals, and forced the other five turnovers through lost ball turnovers and charging fouls.
Foul trouble leads to free points for the Eagles
Redshirt senior forward Miryne Thomas scored 11 points, but was limited to 20 minutes due to four personal fouls. Cochran and Windham also committed four personal fouls.
The Eagles took advantage of the extra opportunities, finishing 15-of-23 from the free throw line. Georgia Southern made six made free throws in the final four minutes and 10 seconds of the second half. Georgia Southern was paced by senior guard/forward Gedi Juozapaitis, who scored a team-high 15 points.
The Cardinals return to action in their home opener against Omaha Nov. 13. Tipoff is at noon.
Contact Charleston Bowles with comments at clbowles@bsu.edu or on Twitter @cbowles01.
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