Western Michigan takes on Ball State following Norman's 22-point game

Western Michigan Broncos (4-15, 0-8 MAC) at Ball State Cardinals (9-10, 4-4 MAC)

Muncie, Indiana; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Michigan plays the Ball State Cardinals after Lamar Norman Jr. scored 22 points in Western Michigan's 75-64 loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Cardinals have gone 6-2 at home. Ball State gives up 76.2 points and has been outscored by 2.0 points per game.

The Broncos have gone 0-8 against MAC opponents. Western Michigan averages 14.3 turnovers per game and is 1-3 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Luke Bumbalough averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Cardinals, scoring 11.6 points while shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc. Payton Sparks is averaging 12.5 points and 7.4 rebounds over the past 10 games for Ball State.

Norman is scoring 19.5 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Broncos. Markeese Hastings is averaging 8.1 points and eight rebounds over the past 10 games for Western Michigan.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cardinals: 5-5, averaging 73.0 points, 33.4 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 5.2 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points per game.

Broncos: 1-9, averaging 63.6 points, 29.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 5.1 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 41.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.4 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by