VALPARAISO, Ind. ? The Ball State women's basketball team suffered a 64-55 setback to instate foe Valparaiso in the eighth annual State Farm Hoosier Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) led the Cardinals with a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds in her return to Northwest Indiana.
“We are disappointed in the outcome as we came out great to start the game but we then allowed Valpo to control the tempo and limit our possessions,” seventh-year head coach Tracy Roller said. “We were unable to get over the hump tonight as each time we pulled close, Valpo was there with a key basket or rebound to slow our momentum.”
The Cardinals opened the game quickly as they scored the first eight points to take the early lead. DeMuth and classmate Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) ignited the early spurt as the Cardinals dominated play inside in the first five minutes.
Valparaiso responded to the early deficit and took a 15-11 lead with a 15-3 run over the next four minutes. The Crusaders were led by guard Agnieszka Kulaga as she scored 11 of Valpo's first 15 points. Ball State kept battling and pulled within three points at 25-22 as junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
Once again, Valparaiso had another run as the Crusaders ran off 10 straight points to take the largest lead of the half at 35-22. The Cardinals scored on a Rusche basket in the final seconds to stop the run and send BSU into the locker room trailing 35-24.
Ball State connected on 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from the field in the first half and were just one-of-eight (12.5 percent) from three-point land. DeMuth led the Cardinals with eight first half points while Rusche chipped in six points. Valparaiso was hitting on all cylinders as it connected on 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field, including 50 percent (four-of-eight) from long range. Kulaga led all first half scorers with 14 points while Aimee Litka added seven points.
The Cardinals came out of the break and narrowed the deficit to four with a 10-3 run out of the locker room. Ball State used its long range shooting to cut into the lead as DeMuth hit back-to-back three-pointers and Green capped the run with a three-pointer form the corner.
Valparaiso once again had an answer for the Cardinals as it scored six straight points to put the BSU deficit back to 10 points. The Cardinals continued to fight as they ran off an 11-4 run to pull within two points at 49-47. Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) ignited the run as she hit two three-pointers in the spurt to breathe life back into the Cardinals.
The Crusaders responded with an 11-2 run to extend the lead back to double figures at 60-49. Valparaiso nailed consecutive three-pointers to take the wind out of the Cardinals' sails. Ball State made one final push as redshirt freshman Kyleigh Jones (Elwood, Ind./Elwood) came up with back-to-back steals but the Crusaders connected on their free throws in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
The Cardinals finished the game shooting 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field but only connected on 26.1 percent (six-of-23) from three-point land. Valparaiso finished 46.7 percent (21-of-42) shooting from the field and 46.2 percent (six-of-13) from long range. The Crusaders also won the battle at the free throw line as they were 16-of-20 from the charity stripe while the Cardinals were just seven-of-12 from the line.
Green added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the loss for the Cardinals. Rusche chipped in seven points while McDonald added six points for the Cardinals. Kulaga paced the Crusaders with 18 points while Launa Hochstetler and Jasmine Ussery each chipped in 11 points.
The Cardinals will return home to Worthen Arena on Tuesday night for the first time in 17 days as they host regional foe Illinois State. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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