Ball State team statistics
Field goal percentage - 43.4
3-point percentage - 36
Free-throw percentage - 69.7
Rebounds - 37
Steals - 5
Blocks - 4
Assists - 14
Turnovers - 16
Five different players finished in double-figures, but Ball State still couldn’t overcome Buffalo in an 82-78 loss, its seventh straight.
“I thought it was a really hard-fought game,” said head coach James Whitford. “I was proud of the way our guys competed.”
Both teams kept pace early, exchanging buckets back and forth.
Freshman Francis Kiapway's basket put the Cardinals up 19-15 with 10 minutes remaining. However, Buffalo’s Shannon Evans regained the 25-24 lead with six minutes left in the first half, igniting a 9-0 run.
Evans finished the half with 15 points and a game-high 25 overall.
The Cardinals went into halftime trailing 40-30. Freshman Sean Sellers and sophomore Franko House led the Cardinals with seven points apiece in the first 20 minutes.
Sellers finished the game with a team-leading 19 points on 4-7 shooting.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting under 50 percent.
Turnovers were also an issue for the Cardinals, as they committed 11 in the first half and 16 total.
Junior Bo Calhoun replaced senior Matt Kamieniecki in the second half. Whitford said Kamieniecki was still having back issues, keeping him out for the remainder of the game.
“We want to get [Kamieniecki] back at 100 percent,” Whitford said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if we shut him down for the next few weeks.”
After a 14-1 Buffalo run, Ball State responded with a three-pointer from Kiapway and two blocks by House. Sellers converted a three-point play, cutting the deficit to 70-65 with less than five minutes to play.
Mid-American Conference leading scorer Justin Moss fouled out with 3:45 remaining, finishing with 17 points.
House also fouled out late, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
With under 20 seconds remaining, sophomore Zavier Turner made a three-pointer and a layup to bring them within two. Turner finished the game with 11 points off the bench.
The comeback attempt fell short, however, as Buffalo iced the game with free throws.
With the loss, Ball State is now 7-13 overall and 2-7 in MAC play.
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