by Still searching for its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) victory of the 2025-26 season, Ball State men’s basketball was tied 28-28 with the Akron Zips during the first half of Tuesday’s matchup.
However, once the final buzzer rang through James A. Rhoades Arena in Akron, Ohio, the Cardinals walked off the court, still looking for that first conference victory. The Zips headed to their locker room after sprinting past Ball State 87-77.
Following the game, Michael Lewis credited both his Cardinals (4-13, 0-5 MAC) and the opposing Zips (13-4, 4-1 MAC).
“I got a lot of respect for them and what they’ve been able to do … We knew we were in for a battle,” the Ball State head coach said. “Quite honestly, I thought we played really well.”
Akron’s offensive clinic began with an 8-0 scoring run over the first 2:32. A few moments later, the Zips led 13-2 as the Cardinals struggled to answer on either side of the ball. But then things changed as junior guard Armoni Zeigler picked up the pace, scoring 18 points in the first half.
This helped the Cardinals as they tied the game with 7:17 left to go in the period. However, Akron — the MAC’s No. 2 team — did not waiver, leading 43-34 at the half.
Right out of the break, the Zips raced to a 9-2 run that put them up 53-35. Though the Cardinals responded with a few runs of their own, they never cleared the hurdle as Akron won its fourth MAC game.
The Zips ended the victory shooting 47.6 percent (30-for-63). They knocked down 13 3-pointers with 35 attempts (37.1 percent).
Though the loss knocked the Cardinals to four-straight losses, Lewis said things are changing for the team. One example of this was Zeigler’s outing. He finished the loss with 30 points, tying his collegiate career high.
“He really played within himself. I thought he made some pretty good decisions, and I thought he was aggressive from the start,” Lewis said. “…He did a really good job of playing under control. Just his overall attack and the pace in which he played, I was very, very pleased.”
Lewis said he is seeing improvement in areas that have stung the Cardinals all season. Tonight, they shot 48.2 percent (27-for-56) from the field while only recording two turnovers in the first half.
Ball State lost the rebound battle 33-31 and was doubled in assists by the Zips (16-8). But the fourth-year head coach said everything showed progress.
“We are growing. We’re making less of the mental mistakes,” Lewis said. “Our communication is continuing to get better, which is helping some of those mistakes from happening. There are just two to four-minute segments there that got the game out of hand.
“But we got some guys with heavy minutes, and we did some really good things. We were able to put them in some situations that I’m not sure they were quite prepared for. Our guys handled that well, and they attacked.”
The Cardinals will return when they face Ohio Friday, Jan. 16, in Worthen Arena at 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Still hunting for a triumph in MAC play, Lewis said the team needs to build off of performances like this. But he also said that wins do not ‘define you.’ It’s how you do it that matters.
“I really appreciate this group overall, just showing up every day, working and getting better. And they are getting better,” Lewis said. “I think it’s shown in the last two games. It hasn’t equated to wins, but the work defines you. The competitiveness, the fight, that defines you.
“The results don’t define you. College basketball is a little blip on these guys’ radar. In life, it’s a little four-year segment for them. It’s their job, it’s our staff’s job. It’s what we do. It’s not who we are. But I do think that the characteristics that these guys are learning and what they’re showing, you know, can and will define them as their life goes on … That [effort] will carry on with them through their life and allow them to be successful.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
