MUNCIE, Ind. — That was exactly what Ball State men's basketball needed.
The Cardinals (14-7, 5-3 MAC) on Saturday got back in the win column with a dominant 87-69 victory at Northern Illinois (8-13, 4-4 MAC), a welcome performance after BSU was on the wrong end of back-to-back blowouts.
Based on just team records, this matchup wouldn't look like an anticipated one, but each squad was seemingly heading in different directions prior to tipoff. The Huskies were winners of three straight, most recently upsetting top Mid-American Conference contender Kent State, while the Cardinals were in a rut and coming off their most disappointing performance of the season.