Ball State freshman guard Zavier Turner rubbed his temples as he walked to the bench during a timeout after his team committed its 13th turnover late in the first half.
It summed up the game for the Cardinals as they lost 64-52 to the Miami RedHawks (6-9, 2-2 Mid-American Conference).
Turner, the 5-foot-9 Pike High School graduate, paced his team with a game-high 24 points. Senior forward Chris Bond scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds for his team. Majok Majok continues to struggle offensively as he was held to eight points and 10 rebounds, only taking four shots.
“That was a hard game for us,” said head coach James Whitford. “We set basketball back a few decades in that first half.”
Whitford referenced the first half where his young Cardinals turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 18 points for the RedHawks.
Freshman guard Mark Alstork committed five turnovers in the first half. Miami would seize the opportunity and trap the young guard seemingly every time he touched the ball.
“The turnovers in the first half became overwhelming and the deficit became too much to overcome.” Whitford said.
Ball State (3-12, 0-4 MAC) would come out of the intermission only to pick up where they left off. The Cardinals committed 22 total turnovers Saturday afternoon while only handing out nine assists.
Senior guard Kindon Crowder entered the game at the 13:54 mark to help close the gap. The Chicago native would spark a huge run as Bond intercepted a pass and raced down the court for a dunk.
On the ensuing possession, Crowder would steal the ball from the opposing player’s hand and score his only two points of the game off of a fast break layup. Miami head coach John Cooper jumped out of his seat to call an immediate timeout. Crowder pumped up his teammates as they trotted to the bench before a crowd of 3,054 people.
“The one thing about Kindon is he gives me his best every single time that he plays—I should be playing Kindon more.” Whitford said.
Miami was led by senior forward Will Felder as he scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down five rebounds. The RedHawks outscored the Cardinals in the paint 42-12, mostly by dribble drives to the basket.
Ball State has a break before its Jan. 23 matchup against Buffalo. It will be the last home game for the Cardinals before enduring a quick two-game road trip.
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