On Tuesday evening, Ball State opened 2024 with their first Mid-American Conference of the season as the Cardinals faced Kent State on the road.
After 40 minutes of basketball, the Cardinals fell to the Golden Flashes 82-69. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Turnovers and fouls plagued Ball State in the first half
Ball State head coach Michael Lewis has talked about how important it is for the Cardinals to hold on to the basketball throughout the season. Yet in the loss, there were multiple times when the red and black coughed it up.
The Cardinals finished the opening half with seven turnovers, which allowed the Golden Flashes to score 11 points.
Yet the turnovers were just one of the many problems that hurt Ball State. Another big issue was the Cardinals’ foul numbers. Due to Kent State’s aggressive play, the red and black recorded multiple fouls when trying to stop their opponent.
The Cardinals walked off of the court after committing 12 fouls. Kent State finished with nine.
Kent State’s success in the paint
Throughout the contest, the Golden Flashes proved they were unafraid to challenge the Cardinals inside the paint. In the first half, Kent State scored 28 paint points. Yet they struggled from deep as they went 0-for-4 (0 percent) from three-point range.
While Kent State found success, the Cardinals couldn’t match the intensity and only recorded four paint points. The Golden Flashes’ inside play also landed them many opportunities to get to the free-throw line. In the opening half, they went 13-for-16 (81 percent) from the foul line.
During the second half, the Cardinals looked better as they outscored Kent State with 20 paint points. Yet the Golden Flashes still controlled that area as they finished the game with 46 points in the paint.
Two Cardinals played well in the loss
After junior Basheer Jihad gave up eight turnovers against Minnesota, which was a season-high, Jihad bounced back in the match with Kent State. In Ball State’s first MAC game of the season, he led the Cardinals with 20 points on 6-for-18 (33 percent) and grabbed six rebounds.
He also improved his turnover numbers as he only lost the ball four times. Behind Jihad was junior Davion Bailey. The guard recorded 14 points and recorded two rebounds.
Ball State will return to Worthen Arena on Saturday, Jan. 6, as Central Michigan visits Muncie. The game is set to start at 2 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.
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