Ypsilanti, Mich. ? The Ball State women's basketball team ran its winning streak to seven-straight as it used a stifling defense and a strong second half effort to knock off preseason Mid-American Conference West Division favorite Eastern Michigan, 55-46, on Saturday night at the Convocation Center. The victory moves the Cardinals to a program-best 13-2 mark and into sole possession of first place in the West Division with a 4-0 record.
“We overcame a tough shooting start to the game and got some big shots down the stretch from Becca (Bajorek) and Audrey (McDonald,” head coach Tracy Roller said. “The story of the night was definitely the play of our defense as we were able to hold a very good offensive team in Eastern Michigan to just 46 points.”
The Cardinals held the Eagles to just 34 percent (16-of-47) from the field in the game and forced them into 20 turnovers. BSU took advantage of the EMU miscues to score 23 points off of turnovers and hold the Eagles 20 points under their scoring average. The victory over Eastern Michigan is the first for the Cardinals since the 2002-03 season and snaps a seven-game losing streak to the Eagles.
The Cardinals overcame a halftime deficit for the second straight game as they out-scored the Eagles, 36-21 in the second half. Ball State shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the second half and hit eight-of-12 (66.7%) from the free throw line to seal the victory.
Ball State had four players score in double figures in the victory including junior Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) who tallied her sixth double-double of the season and 19th of her career. DeMuth finished the night with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. She also moved into 10th place all-time in career rebounds in BSU history as she moved past Alana Hancock with 591 boards.
The Cardinals started off cold shooting from the field after scoring the first five points of the half. Eastern Michigan put together a 9-2 run to take a 16-10 lead 12 minutes into the game. The Cardinals pulled within five points at 22-17 as senior guard Kelsey Corbin (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop H.S.) scored on back-to-back baskets.
DeMuth knocked down a pair of free throws in the final seconds to send BSU into locker room down, 25-19. The Cardinals connected on just seven-of-26 (26.9%) from the field in their lowest scoring first half of the season. Corbin paced the Cardinals offensively as she chipped in eight points while DeMuth was a force on the boards with 10 first-half rebounds.
Eastern Michigan (8-7, 3-1 MAC) was slightly better from the field in the opening frame as it connected on nine-of-24 (37.5%) and hit four three-pointers. Alyssa Pittman led the attack with eight points as she connected on two three-pointers.
Ball State came out of the break and went on a 10-3 run, including eight straight points to take a 29-28 lead. Sophomore guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington H.S.) sparked the surge as she scored four quick points off of her defensive pressure. Eastern Michigan answered and re-took the lead with a run of its own to go ahead, 37-33.
The Cardinals responded to the adversity and took the lead back for good with a 10-2 run. Senior center Becca Bajorek (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales H.S.) keyed the spurt as she knocked down back-to-back jumpers from 15 feet to tie the game at 37 apiece. Green nailed her only three-pointer of the night to give the Cardinals the lead for good and DeMuth scored on a lay up to cap off the run.
Ball State had an answer for each rally by Eastern Michigan in the final four minutes. The Eagles pulled back within one point at 43-42 when freshman guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) nailed a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give BSU some breathing room.
The Cardinal defense sealed the victory with three steals in the final minute of the game as Corbin came up with one swipe and DeMuth posted back-to-back thefts to slam the door shut. The Cardinals finished the game with 13 steals as McDonald, Green and DeMuth all finished with a team-high three steals.
Corbin finished the night with 12 points as she was six-of-11 shooting from the field. She also dished out a game-high six assists and recorded two steals. Green and McDonald each added 10 points in the victory while Rusche chipped in six points and eight rebounds.
Eastern Michigan was led by Patrice McKinney who posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Pittman finished the night with a game-high 14 points as she was four-of-11 shooting from long range. Sarah VanMetre, the second leading scorer in the MAC (18.6 ppg), was held to just five points on the night as she was one-of-seven from the field.
The Cardinals are off to a 4-0 start in MAC for just the third time in program history (2002-03 & 2000-01). The Cardinals' seven-game winning streak is the fourth longest in program history and the longest since an eight-game winning streak in the 2001-02 season.
The Cardinals will be back in action on Wednesday night as they host MAC-West Division rival Northern Illinois at Worthen Arena. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN). Wil Hampton will provide play-by-play and former BSU standout Raechelle Hampton will provide color commentary.
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