Ball State rolls over and plays dead in loss to Kent State

The Ball State men's basketball team suffered its second straight loss this week, losing to Kent State 66-53. BSU fell behind early 24-14 after an 11-5 run by Kent. The Cardinals cut the lead to three at the half 30-27 and cut the lead to one at the 16 minute mark of the second half. However, a 10-2 run followed a little later by a 13-6 run pushed the Kent lead to 57-41, a comfortable lead for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State hit 7 three-pointers, 5 of them during their second-half run. They shot 47% from the field compared to BSU's 37%. Kent had 12 fast break points to BSU's zero. It looked like the Flashes had more energy than the Cardinals and that showed on the stat sheet.

BSU has had a difficult time over the last 5 games. They are 3-2 over that span, but their RPI has dropped from 86th to 159th. In the last 3 games, the team has shot a combined 37% from the field. Their offensive efficiency has struggled also. After averaging a little over a point per possession on offense prior to the last 5 games, they team has only 92 points per 100 possessions over the last 5. The defense has played well as the defensive points allowed per possession has stayed constant. The offense needs to get back on track on Saturday as the Cardinals host Ohio at 2pm.

Brownsburg's basketball teams face most of Hamilton County this weekend. The boys team hosts Noblesville on Friday and travels to Hamilton SE on Saturday. The boys are double-digit underdogs in both games. The girls host Fishers on Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs are 20-plus point favorites in that game.