By GREG FALLON
gfallon@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Two losses, zero wins and a whole host of other issues are suddenly the plight of the Ball State women’s basketball team.

In a home opener that began with a brief celebration recognizing last year’s successes of winning the Mid-American Conference Championship and a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Tennessee, the Cardinals looked pretty far removed from that squad Monday night in a 61-58 loss to Western Kentucky.

While the Cardinals never trailed by more than eight and led by two on two separate possessions, once in each half, it was BSU’s woeful second-half rebounding effort that provided WKU (2-0) the control it needed to keep Ball State at bay.

The Cardinals allowed 16 second-half offensive boards and were out-rebounded 29-18 in the second period.

“I said in our pregame discussion that if there is anything that makes me toss and turn at night right now, it’s wondering whether or not we are going to be committed to rebounding the basketball,” Ball State coach Kelly Packard said after the game.

Two specific instances in the closing 15 seconds — when Ball State would have regained possession with just a one-point deficit had it just grabbed a defensive rebound — were the daggers in which Western Kentucky emphasized it’s command on the boards.

“I think it’s a very, very clear statement that rebounding cost us this game tonight,” Packard said.

“When we rewind the film, I can promise you that we were not in great position. I don’t feel like we made great contact, I don’t feel like we were low. I certainly don’t feel like we pushed back in order to secure some of the defensive rebounds that we absolutely needed to have.”

The Cardinals out-rebounded Western Kentucky 23-14 in the first half. But the second was a different story as the Hilltoppers grew increasingly aggressive on the offensive glass as the game wore on.

“We just didn’t put a body on them in the second half,” said Ball State junior Emily Maggert, who led BSU with 22 points and 11 rebounds, her second double-double in as many games. “… We just need to take ownership and box out and rebound.”

Western Kentucky’s Arnika Brown finished with a game-high 15 boards, nine of them offensive, and a team-high 13 points.

Adding to Ball State’s early-season issues, on the other end of the court Ball State struggled to get any semblance of offensive rhythm.

With starting point guard Ty’Ronda Benning playing just 16 minutes, backup Patrice King saw the most action at the one spot. She was one of three Cardinals to score in double digits with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, but she also turned the ball over seven times in 27 minutes of play. The Cardinals had 23 turnovers, running the team’s two-game total to 51.

The ragged play on offense contributed to a mere 29.6-percent shooting from the field in the second half for the Cardinals and an inability to feed Maggert the ball in the post for much of the period.

“Our point guards aren’t getting good depth down the sidelines in order to make some of those entry passes,” Packard said. “And then quite honestly, some of (the point guards’) development is that they just aren’t seeing what’s open when it’s open. When they recognize, then the defense has had time to adjust.”

Saturday’s result is the first time since the 2003-04 season — when BSU went 13-16, its last losing season — that Ball State has opened a year with two straight losses.

“Obviously, we have a lot of work to do,” said Ball State senior Audrey McDonald, who added 11 points. “We have a lot of new faces and they are learning and getting better every day. We just have to be patient.

“We’ll be fine. It’s just a growing period,” McDonald added. “We are going to get through it. How long? I don’t know. But we’re are going to get through it and we’ll do it together and we’ll come out strong.”

Contact sports editor Greg Fallon at 213-5876.