MUNCIE, Ind. – If Thursday night's exhibition game at Ball State was any indication, UIndy men's basketball coach Stan Gouard has a lot to look forward to for the upcoming season. Despite a 74-64 loss to the Division I Cardinals, the new-look Greyhounds showed flashes of promise on both ends of the floor.

Sporting a youthful roster that features eight newcomers in all, the Hounds led by as many as 13 at one point, and held a lead for more than 15 minutes of game time. Sophomore Jesse Kempson's 16-point, 11-rebound double-double paced the Greyhounds, and teammates Eric Davidson and Jimmy King added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Cardinals, however, orchestrated a stellar second half defensively to hold the Hounds to only 27 points on 10-for-35 (28.6%) shooting from the field, accumulating seven blocks. Ball State also took advantage of 17 UIndy personal fouls.

The hosts needed every bit of that effort, though, because UIndy came out swinging. The Greyhounds raced out to a 13-2 lead to start the game, forcing an early timeout from Ball State coach James Whitford.

Right after the break, Kempson grabbed a steal and slammed it home on the other end to cap a 10-0 Greyhound run.

The home side used an 8-0 spurt to get back into the game, and pulled within 25-21 by the under-8:00 media timeout thanks in part to five UIndy turnovers.

Ball State continued to chip away at the early deficit, and finally took its first lead on a Francis Kiapway layup with under four minutes remaining in the half. The Cardinals would lead by as many as four points, but a late stretch from UIndy brought the score to an even 37-37 at halftime.

Kempson went into the break leading all scorers with 11 points, and as a team the Hounds shot 13 of 28 (46.4%) for the half while out-rebounding Ball State 22 to 19. UIndy held the Cardinals to a 3-for-13 (23.1%) 3-point performance over the first 20 minutes.

A choppy start to the second half saw both sides struggle to score, and also put both teams in the bonus before the second media. But Ball State would wind up with a heavy advantage in free throws, hitting 15 of 21 to UIndy's 2 of 7 mark.

The decisive Cardinal blow came during the last five-plus minutes of the contest. After Davidson sank his third triple to even the score at 58-58 with 5:28 remaining, Ball State reeled off a 16-6 run to escape Worthen Arena with a 10-point victory.

Ball State outrebounded UIndy 28-21 in the second half, finishing the game with a 47-43 edge on the glass. Both sides shot under 38 percent from the floor overall, but the Cardinals' 21-for 32 (65.6%) free throw mark compared to the Hounds' 10-for-17 (58.8%) was enough to tip the scales.

Kempson added a pair of blocks and as many steals to his 16-11 double-double, playing 33 minutes in a starting role. His classmate, King, tallied 11 points, four assists and four rebounds.

Davidson's 13 points came on the strength of his three 3-pointers, and the junior chipped in five rebounds, three assists and two steals, as well. Junior-transfer D.J. Davis finished with nine points, three assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Ball State big man Tahjai Teague posted solid numbers for the home team, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds (five offensive), three blocks and an assist.

UIndy will begin the regular season next weekend when it hosts the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge, meeting Ashland to tip things off Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:15 p.m. The Hounds most recently played the Eagles in the 2015 NCAA Midwest Regional, ending Ashland's season in a 77-60 first-round victory.