On a day where most of the Mid-American Conference began conference play, Ball State basketball may have been the MAC’s biggest underdog.
The Cardinals hosted undefeated Miami (Ohio) at Worthen Arena as the second leg of a doubleheader with the women’s MAC opener. Ball State entered the game with losses in eight of their last nine games seeking a bounce-back win with a big upset of their Redbird Rivalry foe, but the RedHawks stayed undefeated with an 86-77 victory.
“I think Miami’s really good,” Ball State coach Michael Lewis said. “They put a lot of pressure on you offensively, they can spread you out in a lot of ways — obviously, you saw that as they were 13 of 24 from 3 — and put a lot of pressure on you. I will say I thought we did a lot of really good things, but we had some crucial, crucial breakdowns that cost us games.”
Lewis highlighted the back end of the first half as the point with the most defensive breakdowns. Ball State took a two-point lead with about four minutes remaining before surrendering a 13-7 Miami run that gave the RedHawks a 40-36 advantage at halftime.
As the second half began, it was the offense that began to struggle. The Cardinals missed multiple layups and open 3-point shots as Miami built a 13-point lead for its largest of the evening. Ball State fought back with a 9-2 run in the middle of the second half to get within two points but never managed to tie the game or reclaim the lead. Meanwhile, the RedHawks warmed back up as junior forward Almar Atlason took over the game, scoring 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half.
Although it suffered a fourth-straight loss, Ball State (3-9, 0-1 MAC) showed some signs of improvement against one of the best teams the MAC has to offer, particularly on offense. The Cardinals only turned the ball over seven times while turning 14 Miami turnovers into 21 points. They also assisted on 16 of their 28 field goals.
“We did a lot of really good things. I thought our execution out of timeouts was really good,” Lewis said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough of them where we could continue to dial up some of that stuff, but our guys played hard, really competed. It’s just those mental breakdowns.”
Elmore James IV had his best game as a Cardinal in the loss. The senior guard scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field, 2-for-6 from deep and a perfect 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. James has experience in the MAC after spending his first three seasons at Ohio and started conference play with a strong showing.
“It felt pretty good, but I mean, at the end of the day, winning is more important,” James said. “I would have loved it if we could have won against a team like that. They were undefeated, we had a good opportunity today, but we didn’t get the job done. We’re not going to hang our heads on it — we’re going to keep moving forward and keep working.”
Despite losing nine of their last 10 games, Ball State players remain confident it can turn its season around and push for a MAC Tournament berth if it keeps improving and putting the pieces together.
“Man, we got a real shot,” redshirt sophomore Kayden Fish said. “As a player, if you don’t play in that game and realize we got some dudes that can get it done if we put it all together, that’s just what it is. They’re a good team, and we were close there within two, had an opportunity to take them down and go on this break with a better mood, but it’s just every day, we’ve got to watch film, figure out where we went wrong and change it the next time.”
Ball State will take an eight-day break in between games. The Cardinals’ first opportunity for a bounce-back win will come at home on Monday, Dec. 29, when they host Earlham College (1-9). Ball State’s next MAC game will be at Buffalo (10-2, 1-0 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State basketball battles but falls to undefeated Miami in MAC opener
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
