A second-half comeback fell short as Ball State dropped itssecond and final exhibition game, 75-67, to the EA SportsAll-Stars.
Ball State, which won its exhibition opener, 89-69, over TeamNike on Nov. 3, begins the regular season Tuesday with a visit fromXavier.
The Cardinals were a frigid 9-of-31 shooting in the first halfas EA Sports held a 35-22 halftime lead. The advantage grew to 16points (45-29) four minutes into the second half before BSU beganits comeback with six straight points from Cameron Echols.
Echols scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the second halfdespite being defended partly by Lonnie Jones. The 7-foot Jonesbecame the leading shot blocker in conference history with 301rejections over his career (1998-2002) at Ball State.
"Coming in, I knew he was the MAC's leading shot blocker," saidEchols, who came to Ball State the year after Jones finished. "Iwasn't scared at all. I thought I could take it to him. If heblocked it, I just had to go back tougher. I'd have to keep goingat him."
Jones finished with nine points (including a 3-pointer), eightrebounds and two blocks, but was largely ineffective in the secondhalf as the Cardinals chipped away at the EA Sports lead.
A 10-0 run, capped by Peyton Stovall's coast-to-coast drive andlayup, brought the Cards within 58-57 with 5:16 remaining. Echolsfound a cutting Stovall for another layup to make 60-59.
But Greg Grays drained five free throws and Al Faux a 3-pointeras EA Sports built the margin back up to 68-61. Matt McCollom fedEchols for an inside bucket with a minute to go, but Ball Statewould get no closer.
"I don't think we came out ready to play like we did in thesecond half," said freshman Stovall, who started both exhibitiongames at point guard. "We didn't come out with enough intensity.The second half was Ball State basketball. That's what we're allabout -- pushing the ball up the floor, getting the other peopleopen."
McCollom (13 points) and Dennis Trammell (10) joined Echols, whoalso led the way with his 11 rebounds in double-figure scoring.
Afterwards, coach Tim Buckley said he was only concerned aboutthe team's pre-game demeanor, but said that will happen with youngteams. Even the Cardinals dismal four-of-33 3-point shooting in thetwo exhibition games did not deter him.
"I think we took a lot of things tonight I felt we learnedfrom," he said. "The things we talked about at halftime, theplayers really took to the floor and got us back in the game. I wasvery encouraged by the way we came out and played in the secondhalf, because it's exactly the way we want to play.
"We're good shooters; we'll make those threes. We just have tocontinue to get those shots off inside-out plays. I see it everyday (in practice). We just have to translate that into games."
In addition to his team's second-half defensive effort, Buckleywas also pleased with the increased effort to get insidebaskets.
"We chart what we call 'the red zone,' and the red zone is thepaint," he said. "In the first half, we were in the red zone eighttimes, and five of those came in the last three minutes. In thesecond half we got the ball in the red zone 26 times.
"We attacked more, and I think we were just all more in theflow. Cam's our go-to scorer down there. We went to him and he madeshots."
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