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The struggles on the road continued for the Cardinals, as Ball State (2-8) fell to James Madison (5-9) in Harrisonburg, VA 73-68.
After being fairly quiet for the past several games, Ball State senior Jesse Berry was on fire Monday night, coming off the bench and shooting 6-for-13 from three point range, tying for the lead for the Cardinals with 18 points.
Big man Majok Majok finished tied with Berry with 18 points. He also brought down 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
Ball State hadn't played since December 21 against Southern Illinois, and it was apparent the offense was rusty. Several passes were awry, which was also caused by the Dukes using a 3-2 zone to turn the Cardinals over 19 times.
Zavier Turner, leading scorer for the Cardinals, only tallied 10 points, but did extend his nation-leading free throw shooting (26-27).
The Cardinals tried to rally several times being down for almost the entirety of the game, getting as close as down 60-59 in the second half. The Dukes would go on a 7-0 run to secure their lead once again.
Ball State kept fighting on, closing the gap to within three with less than a minute left.
They couldn't quite overcome the deficit though, and late free throws by James Madison sealed the game.
Three Dukes scored in double figures, led by sophomore Charles Cook with 20. Sophomore Ron Curry added 17 and senior Andrey Semenov contributed 16.
It was the seventh straight loss for the Cardinals, who now go back home to face Oakland January 3.
