Ball State defeated Toledo 81-80 on Tuesday, improving to 15-7 (6-3 Mid-American Conference). Ball State is back in action 9 p.m. Friday versus Buffalo. Here are three quick thoughts on the Cardinals' win:
That was some real grit (and stuff) early
Ball State shot 54.8 percent (17-31) in the first half, which is great.
In the first three minutes, however, the Cardinals were anything but great. They started 0-3 from the floor as the Rockets, alternatively, hit everything and jumped out to a 10-0 lead.
The defensive effort was lacking early, too. Toledo opened with a dunk and added two pretty open 3-pointers all in that same three-minute span.