On Tuesday evening, Ball State took the court at Worthen Arena against Oakland City. After the final buzzer rang throughout the building, the Cardinals defeated the Mighty Oaks 92-51.
Here are four takeaways from Ball State’s third straight home victory.
Inconsistent start on offense
The Cardinals started the first half with many offensive possessions. However, most of those ended in missed shots as they went 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) in the first ten minutes of the contest.
Some of those were three-point shots, which the Cardinals went 1-for-7 (14.3 percent) during that time. Yet there were missed jump shots and contested layups that leaped off the rim.
The Cardinals finished the first half going 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) and had trouble from the foul line as they went 13-for-21 (61.9 percent) on free throw attempts.
The Cardinals three-point shooting continued to be an issue as they went to the locker room after going 2-for-12 (16.7 percent).
Good defensive effort
While the offense was a little shaky, Ball State’s defense proved to be a tough task for the Mighty Oaks. While the visitors started hot on offense, the Cardinals did not allow them to score for eight minutes in the first half.
With ten steals and 17 rebounds, the Cardinals never allowed the Mighty Oaks to find the offensive success as they did in the opening minutes.
During the second half, the Cardinals’ defense continued to cause issues for Oakland City. While the Mighty Oaks made some plays, they could not get over the hump as Ball State finished the victory with 12 steals and two blocks.
Junior Davion Bailey led the way with three steals.
Taking care of the basketball
Part of the Mighty Oaks’ struggle on offense was their ability to hold onto the ball. In the first half, they had 17 turnovers. This allowed Ball State to add to its lead throughout the period.
For the Cardinals, they ended the first half after only giving the ball up one time. During the second half, Ball State continued to be smart with the basketball and walked out of Worthen Arena with only three turnovers.
However, the Mighty Oaks left the court with 22 turnovers, which the Cardinals used to add 23 points to the scoreboard.
The new Cardinals continued to get experience
While most of the new freshmen did not get an opportunity to play in the Cardinals’ win over Old Dominion, tonight’s match was a little different.
During the second half, most of the new players hit the court and found success. Freshman Trent Middleton recorded 11 points and four rebounds. Freshman Joey Brown also had 11 points and led the Cardinals with seven rebounds.
Ball State will travel to face Evansville on Saturday, Nov. 18. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.
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