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MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Miami University men's basketball team could not overcome a hot-shooting Ball State squad as it fell, 85-74, on the road in Muncie on Tuesday. The RedHawks are now 8-8 overall and 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals are 10-6 overall and 1-2 in the MAC.

MU overcame a sluggish 26.1 percent (6-for-23) shooting performance in the first half to shoot 61.5 percent (16-for-26) in the second frame. However, BSU was consistent throughout the contest, finishing at 55.3 percent (26-for-47), including 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from behind the arc.

The Weathers twins provided an offensive boost for the RedHawks on Tuesday. Freshman guard Michael Weathers led the way with 22 points, scoring 17 points as Miami made a valiant second-half comeback attempt. Freshman forward Marcus Weathers finished with 19 points, six rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes of action.

Junior forward Abdoulaye Harouna opened the contest with a three-pointer, while junior forward Logan McLane had a layup as Miami built a 5-4 lead early. The Cardinals took a 13-6 advantage before an old-fashioned three-point play by Michael Weathers and a triple from Marcus Weathers pulled the `Hawks to within one at 13-12 with 12:15 to go in the half.

Ball State once again pushed the advantage to seven points before four Marcus Weathers free throws and a McLane layup made it a one-point contest at 23-22 with 7:35 to go. Miami's offense went cold in the final seven minutes scoring only four points. The Cardinals took advantage to close the half on a 20-4 run and take a 43-26 lead into the break.

Two layups from Michael Weathers helped begin the RedHawks comeback attempt in the second half. His second one cut the BSU advantage to 11 at 44-33 with 17:07 remaining. The Cardinals increased it back to 16, but a triple from Marcus Weathers and layup from McLane made it 50-40 at the 14:00 mark.

Down 56-40, another three-pointer from Marcus Weathers began an 11-5 run that got Miami as close as nine points at 61-52 with 8:55 to go. However, the Cardinals would answer with a 20-10 run of their own that put the contest out of reach at 81-62. The RedHawks were able to pull within nine late, but ran out of time as Ball State took the 85-74 victory.

McLane finished with 12 points for Miami and led the `Hawks with seven rebounds. The Cardinals held a 30-25 advantage on the boards and were led by Franko House with 20 points.

The RedHawks return to action on Saturday when they host Akron for "One Miami" day at Millett at 3:30 p.m. It is part of a doubleheader that will see the women's team take on Buffalo at 1 p.m. Both games will air live on ESPN3.