OMAHA, Neb. - Early foul trouble hindered the Mavericks Wednesday night causing a close loss to the visiting Ball State Cardinals. Omaha was led by JJ White who netted a career-high 15 points, but the effort fell short as the Mavericks lost, 71-61.

With the loss, Omaha falls to 1-3 overall.

Leaders for Omaha
White's 15 points was a team and career-high. He was 5-of-9 from the field and hit three from deep. White filled the stat sheet with a career-best seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Dylan Brougham also tallied seven rebounds. It marked a season-best for the junior center.

For the fourth consecutive game, Marquel Sutton notched double-figures with 10 points. Jaeden Marshall and Tony Osburn added nine points each, while Kennedy Brown controlled the glass with 10 boards, six of which came on the offensive end.

Leaders for Ball State
Four of Ball State's starters put up double-figure performances. Jalen Windham matched White as the game's leading scorer with 15 points. He shot 50 percent from both the field and three-point range. Demarius Jacobs and Jaylin Sellers scored 12 points each. Sellers was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Jarron Coleman scored 11 for the Cardinals. He grabbed a team-best nine boards. Three Cardinals recorded three steals each.

Team Stats
The Cardinals edged the Mavericks from the field shooting 41.5 percent to Omaha's 35 percent. The Mavericks had more success from three-point range hitting 30 percent of their attempts, while the Cardinals shot 27.8.

Both teams turned the ball over 17 times, but Ball State converted those turnovers to 18 points, while Omaha only tallied 12. The Cardinals also led on points in the paint (32-30) and on the fast break (14-5). The Maverick bench outscored the Cardinal bench, 17-12. Omaha also held a 9-5 advantage on second chance points.

Inside the First Half
Sutton and White drove in for back-to-back layups to open Wednesday's action and spark a 9-3 run for Omaha out of the jump ball. From the 14:02 to the 11:02 mark, the Cardinals responded to the Mavericks opening burst with a 12-5 run to swing the lead 15-14 in Ball State's favor. 

Marshall was able to tie the half, 19-19, with a three-pointer at the 9:08 mark. Ball State started to heat up in the final eight minutes, scoring 18 points before the half ended. Windham led the Cardinals with 10 points in that stretch and helped Ball State take a 37-27 edge at the halftime break. 
 
Inside the Second Half
Ball State took its largest lead of the game out of halftime, outscoring Omaha 12-4 in the first 4:30 minutes of play for an 18-point lead. The Mavericks were able to cut into the lead with eight points on a combined effort from Tony Osburn, Ja'Sean Glover, Brown, and White over the next three minutes.

The Mavericks got within nine of the Cardinals with a 9-0 run under the 10-minute mark. White connected from deep to lead the charge. In the final five minutes, the Mavericks and Cardinals traded baskets. Sutton's three with 56 seconds left in the game got Omaha within nine, while White's free throws cut the lead to eight. The Cardinals were able to convert late attempts at the line and walked away with a 71-61 win.

Game Notes
-White's 15 points and seven boards mark a career-high for the sophomore guard.
-Brown is the fourth active Maverick to have a double-figure rebounding performance. Frankie Fidler notched one last game with 11 boards, while Akol Arop and Brougham recorded 10+ rebound games last season.
-Sutton is on a four-game double-figure scoring streak.

Up Next
The Mavericks open a seven-game road stretch next week. Omaha will play at Iowa on Monday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is 7 p.m. and will air on the Big Ten Network.