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Ball State coach Tim Buckley said his team's 78-60 loss to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis wasn't any more disappointing than the Cardinals' previous two defeats.
However, the numbers show it was the most decisive of the three.
Ball State shot
a mere 6-of-32 in the first half, then watched the host Jaguars take 36 foul
shots after halftime. And regardless of the half, the Cardinals could not contain
IUPUI's Odell Bradley.
The 6-foot-4 senior forward powered up 23 points and grabbed a staggering 18
rebounds in leading the Jaguars (5-3) to their first win over Ball State (3-3)
in four total tries.
"We didn't guard him," said Buckley, who had several different players guard Bradley, all to no avail. "He's a good player and took it right at us. He out-toughed us."
Terrance Chapman's basket gave the Cards the initial lead, but the Jaguars reeled off 16 straight points before Michael Bennett's putback stopped the bleeding just temporarily.
"They simply got a nice jump on us to start and we never came back from it," Robert Owens said. "Defensively is where we need to win games, and we didn't compete there."
"We were tentative in every area tonight," Buckley said. "From the opening tip the game was over. They did a really good job [with their zone defense]. We didn't attack it, we backed away."
IUPUI stretched its first-half advantage to 32-12 before Ball State worked it down to 36-22 at halftime.
A short one-hander by Cameron Echols had BSU again starting a half on the right foot. The Jaguars quickly responded with a 15-2 run. Four free throws by Brandon Cole -- wrapped around Buckley getting whistled for a technical foul -- had the Cardinals staring at a 51-26 deficit with 15:57 still remaining. The margin reached 28 twice before Owens heated up, albeit much too late.
Owens finished with 14 points -- all in the second half -- and nine rebounds to pace the Cards. Freshman Skip Mills (11 points, his second-straight game in double figures) and Michael Bennett (season-high eight points) grabbed six boards apiece.
Both teams made 20 shots from the field, but Ball State shot 29 percent and IUPUI 41. The Jaguars also made 33-of-43 free throws. Cole (17 points, eight rebounds) and Dannorris Harvey (15 and five) joined Bradley in double figures.
"[We were] not standing up to them, not competing like we needed," Buckley said of his team not meeting the Jaguars' challenge, "and I take full responsibility. It's not the players' fault, it's mine. We're just going to go back to work and get better."
Ball State, which has now lost three of its last four games, will try to get back above the .500 mark when it plays host to Western Kentucky on Tuesday. The Cardinals will then travel to No. 1 Connecticut for a Sunday matchup before opening up conference play.