Ball State University Athletics
Ball State Posts Key MAC Win Over Broncos
February 18, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Western Michigan struck first, but when Tina Bolte drained a 3-pointer 96 seconds later, it gave Ball State a lead it would not relinquish in a 62-55 victory over the Broncos Saturday at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals led by as many as 17 points, held double digit leads for most of the second half and then withstood a late rally by its guests to improve to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in Mid-American Conference play. The win put BSU within one game of the Broncos, who hold the second place spot in the standings three games behind first-place Eastern Michigan.
The game started out slowly with each team committing more turnovers than points over the first three minutes. Bolte's bomb ignited a 13-0 BSU run. After a six-minute scoring drought, Western Michigan scored eight of the next nine points to get within four points at 14-10 at the 11:14 mark. After trading baskets for the next several minutes, the Cardinals closed out the half on a 7-2 run, including a 3-pointer by Bolte with two seconds on the clock to give her team a 25-16 halftime advantage.
The 16 first-half points were a season low for Western Michigan, the MAC's most prolific offensive team. The Broncos' shooting percentage over the first 20 minutes was slightly warmer than the frigid temperatures outside as they converted just 6-of-23 tries for a 26.1 mark. BSU was warmer with a .364 mark on an 8-of-22 showing.
Casey Rost hit the first jumper of the second half and after Carrie Moore's layup, Western Michigan was within five points at 25-20 just 75 seconds into the period. Porchia Green responded with a 3-pointer and after a layup by Raechelle Hampton, Ball State was back up by 10 points with 17:41 left to play. From that point, the Cardinals scored nine unanswered points. Another 3-pointer by Bolte capped a 12-2 run to put BSU up by 17 points at 44-27. Ball State maintained double-digit leads for the next eight minutes before Western Michigan staged a furious comeback attempt, scoring 12 of the next 14 points to get within five points -- 58-53 -- with 42 second left. The Cardinals held onto the victory thanks to four-straight free throw makes by Kiley Jarrett.
Bolte led Ball State with 17 points. Becca Bajorek, making her fourth start after coming back from an injury, added 10 points plus tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Kelsey Corbin added eight points, seven rebounds, a game-high seven assists and two steals. Julie DeMuth also scored eight points. Eight of the nine players who saw action scored for Ball State.
Moore tied for team-high honors with 19 points for the Broncos. She pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Rost matched Moore with 19 points, while Maria Jilian chipped in with 11.
Ball State shot 41.7 (20-of-48) percent for the game, including 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. Western Michgan finished with a 33.9 (21-of-62) mark, including 4-of-21 from 3-point range. The 55 total points tied for the third-lowest output of the season for the Broncos.
"We played 36 minutes of great basketball," BSU head coach Tracy Roller said. "I don't want those last four minutes to take away from a well-executed game. To hold the MAC's leading offensive team to just 55 points is a tribute to the effort of our players. Tina really stepped up huge for us tonight and I think our overall depth was the key to our win."
Ball State is back on the road for a pair of games in Michigan this week -- at Central Michigan Wednesday and at MAC West Division leader Eastern Michigan Saturday.
With the loss, Western Michigan drops to 12-12 overall and 9-4 in league play.
