MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State women's basketball team suffered a hard fought 76-71 loss to instate rival Indiana on Saturday night at Worthen Arena. Ball State senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) posted her 25th career double-double in the loss as the Cardinals fall to 1-2 on the young season, while Indiana improves to 3-0.
“We had a good game plan for a very good team in Indiana, but we had some mental breakdowns and inconsistent defensive play that cost us another opportunity for a very good early season win,” seventh-year head coach Tracy Roller said.
DeMuth, a preseason All-Mid-American Conference selection, posted her first double dip of the season as she scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She connected on nine-of-17 from the field and six-of-eight from the charity stripe to pace the Cardinal attack that saw four players score in double figures.
“Julie played really well today from the start and our offensive play was more team oriented,” Roller said. “We just didn't come up with the defensive stops when we needed to down the stretch.”
Ball State came out of the gate at the start as a team on a mission. The two teams battled for the first five minutes to a 13-13 score until the Cardinals stormed out to a double-digit lead. Ball State ran off nine straight points on its way to a 20-4 run as it took a 33-17 lead with 6:38 left in the first half.
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) started the run with a basket in transition. Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) capped the 9-0 run and forced an Indiana timeout with a three-pointer from the corner.
After a pair of DeMuth baskets, junior guard Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington, Ind./North) scored seven quick points to give the Cardinals a 16-point lead. Jarrett capped the run with a three-pointer to force another Indiana timeout. Ball State opened the game hitting 13 out of its first 15 shots from the field to jump out to the early lead.
Indiana regrouped in the timeout as the Hoosiers responded with a 19-5 run down the stretch to head into the locker room trailing by only two points at 38-36. Indiana's run to close the half was spurred by the Hoosiers' three-point shooting as they connected on five-of-nine (55.6 percent) from long range in the opening half.
Ball State finished the first half 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) shooting from the field, including three-of-six (50 percent) from three-point land. All five starters for the Cardinals scored at least five points in the first half with DeMuth pacing the attack with nine points. Indiana connected on 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the first half as guard Jamie Braun led all first half scorers with 12 points.
The two teams came out of halftime and battled back-and-forth over the first four minutes with Indiana taking a slim 44-42 lead. The Cardinals responded to the deficit and ran off a quick 7-1 spurt to take a 49-45 lead and force another Indiana timeout. Jarrett keyed the run with another three-pointer, while freshman Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris) added a basket in transition.
Indiana had an answer though as it turned in a 9-1 lead to take back the lead for good at 54-50. Ball State pulled back within one, but Indiana got a four-point play from Kim Roberson to stretch the lead back to five with five minutes remaining. The Hoosiers extended their lead to 69-59 with 1:24 remaining in the game.
Ball State had one last push at the lead as the Cardinals made it a one possession game in the final minute. Green ignited the late game charge with a three-pointer, while senior forward Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) added a pair of baskets before the rally fell short.
The Cardinals finished the night shooting 54.9 percent (28-of-51) from the field, including five-of-13 (38.5 percent) from three-point land. Indiana equaled the Cardinals' strong shooting night as the Hoosiers finished 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field and were just as strong from long range as they hit eight-of-16 (50 percent).
Green finished the night with 13 points as she was five-of-eight from the field and a perfect two-of-two from three-point land. Rusche added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four steals in the losing effort. Jarrett scored 10 points as she was four-of-five shooting from the field in 38 minutes of action.
Indiana was paced by Braun who finished with 24 points as she was nine-of-18 from the field. Roberson added 15 points off of the bench and Nikki Smith chipped in 14 points as all three players combined for eight three-pointers.
The Cardinals will hit the road for eight of their next nine games, including four straight away from home. Ball State will begin its road quest next weekend as the Cardinals travel to Flagstaff, Ariz., for the La Quinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Tournament on the campus of Northern Arizona. The Cardinals will face Vermont on Nov. 23 and will meet either Fairleigh Dickinson or host NAU on Nov. 24.
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