GAME NOTES: Fresh of their first conference victory of the season, the Ball State Cardinals will try to get a winning streak going when they take on the Western Michigan Broncos in a Mid-American Conference tussle at University Arena.

After dropping their first four league tilts, the Cardinals finally got into the win column with a 71-68 victory over Buffalo on Thursday. They are still only 4-12 overall, with eight losses in as many tries on the road, where they will be again on Wednesday against Akron.

Western Michigan earned a 75-59 victory over Kent State on Thursday to improve to 3-2 in conference play. The Broncos are 10-7 overall, including a 6-2 ledger on their home floor. They take a trip to western New York to face Buffalo next.

Ball State swept the season series a year ago, returning the favor after Western Michigan did the same the previous season. The two wins last year pushed the Cardinals to a 60-58 lead in the all-time series.

Franko House nailed a jump shot with 45 seconds left to break a 67-67 tie, and Jesse Berry drained a pair of crucial free-throws to allow Ball State to escape with a win over Buffalo. The Cardinals shot 49.1 percent from the floor and had a 15-8 scoring edge off of turnovers.

The Cardinals have been one of the weaker offensive teams in the MAC this season. They rank 10th in the league in scoring (65.9 ppg) and 11th in field goal percentage (.411). Not helping matters has been a lack of defensive pressure, as the squad is allowing 47.1 percent shooting to the opposition. Zavier Turner (12.4 ppg) is the leading scorer among four players averaging in double figures. However, he was held scoreless against Buffalo in 32 minutes of action. Chris Bond (11.8 ppg), Majok Majok (10.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and Jesse Berry (10.3 ppg), who finished with a team-high 21 points on Thursday, are all reliable contributors as well.

Shayne Whittington tallied 18 points to offset a game-high five turnovers in leading Western Michigan past Kent State. The Broncos knocked down 50 percent of their field goal tries, while limiting the Golden Flashes to 32.3 percent.

The Broncos score at a much better clip than the Cardinals, netting 71.1 ppg and they are shooting the second-best percentage in the conference (.449). They are also a superior team on defense, limiting foes to 66.4 ppg and 39.6 percent shooting. David Brown (18.8 ppg) usually does the heavy lifting on offense, as he is the MAC's leading scorer. He finished with 17 points on only four field goals against Kent State. Whittington (14.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is the second option and a force on the interior, while Connar Tava (12.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) is a versatile forward who contributes in a number of ways.

Western Michigan is a strong defensive team and should have no problem slowing down the Cardinals, who's struggles on the road are well documented.