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MUNCIE, Ind. – Eastern Illinois was cold from the field all day as the Panthers fell to 0-2 on the season after a 77-46 lost to Ball State on Sunday afternoon in Muncie, Ind. EIU shot 31 percent for the day.

Ball State jumped out to a 10-2 lead as Jarrod Jones scored six of the first ten points for the Cardinals. Jones was a force for BSU all day scoring 15 points and pulling down ten rebounds.

Jones completed a lay-up at the 7:43 mark to extend the lead to 24-6 as the Panthers shot only 28 percent from the floor in the first half. James Hollowell would hit a 3-pointer and convert a pair of free throws while Tyler Laser drained a 3-pointer as the Panthers trimmed the half-time margin to 34-22.

The Panthers warmed up a little from the field in the second half but still shot 34 percent including 17 percent from 3-point range. Laser cut the Ball State lead to 11 points with a 3-pointer with 18:45 left to play but EIU would never get the BSU lead into single digits. Laser scored ten points for the Panthers.

Jauwan Scaife would drain a 3-pointer with 3:32 left in the game to put Ball State up by 31 points. The two teams would trade baskets over the final minutes before BSU won by that margin. Scaife led BSU with 19 points. Jesse Berry added 15 off the bench and Randy Davis chipped in 13.

Jeremy Granger led the Panthers with 11 points. EIU will play at Loyola-Chicago at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Ball State improved to 1-0.