MUNCIE, Ind. — For the second straight game, Ball State's (6-7, 1-1 MAC) men's basketball game came down to the final moments. Unlike in its Mid-American Conference opener, however, Ball State fell to Kent State (7-6, 2-1 MAC) by a 66-65 final.
Neither team led by more than four points. The Cardinals regained the lead in the final minute with an and-one from Tyler Cochran but Kent State's Justyn Hamilton was able to tip in a Sincere Carry miss to lift the Golden Flashes to a one-point victory.
Here are three takeaways from Ball State's defeat:
Defense wins the day for Ball State
Ball State came in with the 333rd best defense in the country in terms of points against per game (78.