Jersey City, N.J. ? The Ball State women's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the SPC Aeropostale Holiday Classic as the Cardinals downed host St. Peter's, 75-65, on Friday night at the John J. Moore Center on the campus of New Jersey City University. The Cardinals will face Charlotte in the championship game on Saturday night at the Yanitelli Center on St. Peter's campus.
“One of our goals was to get to the championship game and we accomplished that tonight with a gritty effort,” head coach Tracy Roller said. “Our team really had a gut check tonight when we needed it against a team in St. Peter's that challenged us.”
Junior Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) posted her fourth double-double of the season and second straight as she scored a game-high 26 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. DeMuth connected on nine-of-14 from the field and six-of-nine from the free throw line as she scored 16 second half points.
Freshman guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) continued her strong play as she set a career-high for the second straight game. McDonald finished with 19 points as she was five-of-eight from three-point land and a perfect four-of-four from the charity stripe. The five three-pointers marks the second straight game in which she has reached that mark from long range.
“Julie and Audrey's play was a big part of our win tonight as they both played great,” Roller said. “Once again, we got some big minutes from our seniors in Kelsey (Corbin), Becca (Bajorek) and Tina (Bolte) as they provided us with great leadership.”
The Cardinals (8-2) jumped out of the gate hitting from long range as McDonald connected on back-to-back three-pointers four minutes in to give BSU an early 8-5 lead. The Peahens responded with a pair of three-pointers of their own to knot the game up at 11-11.
Ball State answered with seven straight points as McDonald nailed her third three-pointer in the first eight minutes. St. Peter's narrow the BSU lead to five points at 20-15 before the Cardinals broke the half open with a 12-2 run. DeMuth started the run with five quick points and senior guard Tina Bolte (Columbus, Ind./North H.S.) capped the run with a five straight points to put BSU ahead, 30-17.
The Cardinals headed into the locker room ahead 38-28 as senior Kelsey Corbin (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop H.S.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play and McDonald nailed her fourth three-pointer of the half. Ball State connected on 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the field as McDonald led the way with 12 points on four-of-six shooting from long range.
The Peahens connected on 10-of-20 (50%) from the field in the opening frame but were forced into 11 first half turnovers by the BSU defense. Sophomore guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington H.S.) spearheaded the defense with three of the Cardinals' five steals in the opening stanza.
Ball State came out in the second half and scored the first six points as McDonald connected on her fifth three-pointer. The Cardinals extended their lead to 50-36 five minutes into the half as DeMuth hit a three-pointer in transition to force a SPC timeout.
Saint Peter's (5-5) made a charge at the Cardinals' lead as it went on a 12-2 run to pull within four points at 52-48. Ball State responded to the adversity with a 9-2 run that gave BSU some breathing room. Bolte started the run with a baseline jumper and Green capped the spurt with a three-point play off of a steal in transition.
The Cardinals sealed the victory from the charity stripe as they connected on eight-of-nine in the final 1:42 of the game. Ball State finished the game 20-of-26 (76.9%) from the free throw line.
The Cardinals connected on 23-of-51 (45.2%) from the field in the game and nine-of-22 (40.9%) from three-point land. St. Peter's finished the game 21-of-48 (43.8%) from the field in the loss and were forced into 16 turnovers by the BSU defense.
Green ended the night with eight points, six rebounds and four steals in the all-around solid effort. Bolte added seven points in a season-high 27 minutes of action while classmate Becca Bajorek (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales H.S.) added six points, including four-of-four from the free throw line down the stretch.
St. Peter's was led by Tania Kennedy who finished with 22 points while Johnell Burts added 11 points in the loss for the Peahens.
The Cardinals will look for their second midseason tournament championship on Saturday afternoon as they face off against Charlotte. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. on the campus of St. Peter's College.
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