Normal, Ill. ? The Ball State women's basketball team saw its five-game season opening win streak come to an end as the Cardinals dropped an 82-72 victory to Illinois State on Wednesday night at Redbird Arena. The Cardinals rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit and pulled within three points in the final minute before dropping their first game of the season.
“We obviously were taken out of our comfort zone in the first half by a very good Illinois State team and were put into a huge hole,” head coach Tracy Roller said. “Our team showed a lot of heart as they responded to the challenge in the second half and fell just short on our comeback.”
Junior Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) paced the Cardinals' attack as she posted her second double-double of the season. She led all scorers with a career-high 28 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. She finished 10-of-24 from the field and seven-of-eight from the charity stripe.
The Cardinals struggled in the first half as they got into foul trouble in the early going. Ball State jumped out to an early 7-1 advantage as DeMuth scored five quick points, including a three-pointer.
Illinois State took its first lead of the night as it scored 16 unanswered points and closed the half on a 32-12 run. The Redbirds held the Cardinals to just eight-of-28 (28.6%) shooting from the field in the half while Illinois State connected on 15-of-33 (45.5%) from the field.
The Cardinals came out of the gate in the second half and responded to the adversity as they opened the half with 10 straight points. Ball State opened the first five-plus minutes on a 16-2 run to pull within seven points at, 44-37. Sophomore Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington H.S.) was instrumental in the opening run as she scored eight quick points while junior Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills H.S.) added back-to-back baskets.
Illinois State (5-2) stretched the lead back to 13 points at 50-37, but the Cardinals ran off eight straight points to pull within five. Green keyed the spurt as she hit her third three-pointer of the second half.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch as the Cardinals couldn't get over the hump. Ball State pulled within three at 73-70 with 36 second remaining as freshman Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) drilled her third three-pointer of half. Illinois State sealed the victory as it connected on nine-of-10 free throws in the final minute of action.
Ball State finished the game 27-of-63 (42.9%) from the field in the game and seven-of-17 (41.2%) from three-point land. Illinois State finished the game 27-of-53 (50.9%) from the field and seven-of-15 (46.7%) from the field. The Redbirds also connected on 21-of-30 (70%) from the charity stripe in the victory.
Green sparked the Cardinals comeback attempt as she scored 11 points, all in the second half, as she connected on three-of-four from three-point land. McDonald added 11 points and dished out four assists in the loss.
Illinois State was paced by guard Kristi Cirone who finished with a team-high 25 points as she was 13-of-16 from the free throw line. Megan McCracken added 20 points off of the bench for the Redbirds.
The Cardinals will be back in action on Sunday afternoon as they travel to Fort Wayne for the annual Hoopla. Ball State will face off against Valparaiso at 1 p.m. in the opening game of the Hoopla. Indiana and host IPFW will face off in the second game on the afternoon.
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