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First-year Ball State University coach Billy Taylor's Cardinals career did not get off to the smoothest of starts on Friday night.
In the first half of the Cardinals' season-opening game, Butler University out rebounded Ball State 21-15, including an 11-1 advantage at one point, jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game, and used a last-second three-pointer from Muncie native Pete Campbell to take a 31-17 lead.
"Early on, we weren't blocking out," Taylor said. "They were beating us to loose balls. They were playing with more hustle."
The Cardinals were able to regroup and made a run early in the second half to pull within eight points but could get no closer, as Ball State fell 61-45.
"I don't think we were flat, but we came out so anxious that things were moving too fast," junior forward Anthony Newell said.
Stovall spearheaded the run, scoring six of the 10 points.
The Bulldogs responded to Ball State with an 11-2 run of their own. Campbell, who would lead Butler with 17 points, hit three of his five treys during the run.
Ball State shot one of 14 from three-point range, compared to 8 of 22 for Butler.
"We were just so anxious out there, shooting the ball over the rim sometimes," Newell said. "You can't come out like that. You've got to come out patient."
Billy Taylor said he was unhappy with his team's shot selection in the first half that put Ball State in a 14-point hole at halftime.
"We got ourselves out of rhythm offensively in the first half with the shots we took," Taylor said. "You give credit to Butler's defense, but I don't think they really forced us to take some of those bad shots."
Taylor said he thought the Ball State team that was able to play more evenly with Butler in the second half and it was more representative of the Cardinals team fans will see down the line. Butler out scored the Cardinals 30-28 in the second half.
"We fought, we showed more patience, and that was more like the Ball State team I would expect to see every single night," Taylor said.
Ball State out rebound Butler 16-9 in the second half, led again by Stovall, who grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.
"We can't make Newell and Malik [Perry] do all the work," Stovall said. "Us guards have to get scrappy and grab some rebounds."
The game drew 7,331 fans, almost 3,000 of which packed "The Nest."
Despite the Cardinals' loss, Stovall was intent on delivering a pointed message to Ball State students.
"Keep coming," Stovall said. "Because we will win."
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