Ball State arrived in Ypsilanti, Mich., with hopes of sweeping its season series against Eastern Michigan. Those hopes were quickly erased, however, as the home team dealt the visitors a 74-43 thrashing on Senior Day.
Despite shooting 48 percent from the field, Ball State lost 61-50 to Mid-American Conference opponent Eastern Michigan on the road Saturday afternoon.
Ball State may have ended its seven-game losing streak Saturday, but the Cardinals Mid-American Conference funk is still intact.
The clock read 0:13 with Ball State trailing by a basket, when freshman guard Shelbie Justice was fouled and went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game.
It had been 403 days since Western Michigan won a game away from home. It beat Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill., on Jan. 15, 2011. The counter reset Wednesday night after beating Ball State 67-65 in Worthen Arena.
While Saturday's win against Southern Illinois didn't improve Ball State's 4-8 Mid-American Conference record (13-12 overall), the players came away with an all-new positive mindset.
Ball State senior center Jarrod Jones has been named one of the 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award given to the Mid-Major Player of the Year.
After going 0-6 versus the Mid-American Conference East Division, then losing it's first game back in West play, Ball State now steps away from conference play and hosts Southern Illinois for BracketBuster weekend.
The road woes continued for the Ball State women's basketball team as it fell on the road to Northern Illinois on Thursday night, 58-44.
On Monday, Jarrod Jones said his scoring slump was going to come to an end pretty soon.
With one win in the past five games, Ball State is going through one of its toughest stretches in the 2011-12 season.
For senior center Jarrod Jones, potentially becoming Ball State's sixth all-time leading scorer by the end of the season means very little.
Ball State can breath a sigh of relief now that its Mid-American Conference East Division crossover is almost over.
On Tuesday, coach Kelly Packard gathered her team in the film room, turned on the video from the Buffalo game, and made a clear point to her team.
Ball State got its fifth consecutive loss, all coming in Mid-American Conference crossover play.
Confidence often goes hand-in-hand with continuity on the court and coach Billy Taylor has switched up his starting lineup twice over the past four games looking for it.
After breaking a five-game losing streak against Kent State Wednesday, sophomore guard Shanee' Jackson and the rest Ball State women's basketball team (8-14, 3-6) will attempt to dig in and continue fighting in the Mid-American Conference.
After putting up 75 points against Kent State on Wednesday, Ball State was unable to get find its offensive groove against Buffalo on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 61-37 loss at Worthen Arena.
Before every game, Miami coach Charlie Coles said he puts a message on the board for his team to focus on. For Saturday's game against Ball State, it was all about matching the energy of a team who'd lost its previous three games.
Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon took his playing experience under Michigan coach John Beilein and former Indiana Pacers coach Jim O'Brien and turned it into one of the most successful offenses in college basketball.
