After topping the Central Michigan Chippewas (10-11, 4-5 MAC) last Tuesday with a gritty win, men’s basketball (7-14, 2-7 MAC) was defeated by the Ball State Cardinals (10-11, 4-5 MAC) in a contest that saw many mistakes that ultimately cost Buffalo the game, which ended with a final score of 89-76.
Several Bulls had admirable performances despite the loss. Sophomore guards Anquan Boldin Jr. and Bryson Wilson had a pair of 16-point performances that helped keep the Bulls competitive.
The game started off in a positive way for Buffalo. They held a nine-point advantage midway through the first half. However, Buffalo struggled to find an offensive stride, a trend that allowed Ball State to go on several scoring runs to catch up and take control.
The most devastating of these runs came at the end of the first half, where Ball State completed a ‘kill-shot’- a scoring run of 10-0 or more—and followed up later with a seven-point run. These two bursts of scoring were only separated by Bulls’ freshman forward Ben Michaels, who scored a layup. Ball State entered the locker room at halftime with a 13-point advantage.
These runs were due in large part to the Bulls’ less than stellar shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line. They attempted 39 three-point shots, only making eight of them, good for a 20.5% field goal percentage.
Ball State’s senior center Payton Sparks proved to be a problem for the Bulls. Sparks made his presence known with a 27-point double-double with 14 rebounds, to which Buffalo had no answers for. His physicality in the paint on both ends of the floor would end up being one of the deciding factors in the game.
The Cardinals never relinquished their momentum in the second half, not allowing another lead change for the rest of the meeting. With this loss, the Bulls fall to 2-7 in conference play, putting them 11th in the Mid-American Conference standings.
UB men’s basketball looks forward to their matchup against Toledo (13-8, 7-2 MAC) this Tuesday with a 7 p.m. tip off. The game will be available on ESPN+.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
