TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The Ball State women's basketball team mounted a courageous second half comeback on Thursday evening before falling short of instate rival Indiana State, 61-57 at the Hulman Center. The Cardinals turned in a stellar second half effort against the Sycamores as they rallied from a 22-point halftime deficit to pull within three points in the final minute.
“We put ourselves behind the eight ball with our start as we executed great but just couldn't buy a basket in the first half,” head coach Tracy Roller said. “We played great team basketball in the second half and if we could have scored points for heart and determination, we would have come out on top.”
Ball State rallied together as a team in the second half after suffering a pair of injuries to starters and saw its bench turned in 20 second half points.
Redshirt freshman Kyleigh Jones (Elwood, Ind./Elwood) sparked the second half effort as she scored a career-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the second frame. Jones connected on three-of-four from three-point land in the second half as she stepped up her play while subbing for the injured Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington, Ind./North).
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) scored a game-high 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded three steals in leading the Cardinals' comeback. Green connected on five-of-nine from the field and was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line.
The Cardinals dominated play in the paint as they out-scored ISU 38-21 down low, including 26-10 in the second half. Freshman forward Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris), senior forward Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) and junior Dana Moorman (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) combined to score 22 points in the post as they worked together after senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) missed the second half due to an injury.
Maggert finished the night with nine points, six of which came in the second half while also grabbing four rebounds. Rusche posted her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She grabbed a season-high six offensive rebounds and finished the night five-of-11 shooting from the field. Moorman added three points and three rebounds.
The Cardinals struggled from the start as they came out of the gate and hit one out of their first 17 shots from the field. The Sycamores scored the first 17 points of the game and jumped out to a 20-2 lead nine minutes into the game. Indiana State did most of its damage in the early going from long range as the Sycamores hit four out of their first five three-point field goals, including two from reserve Leah Phillips.
Ball State settled in and narrowed the lead to 22-12 with a 10-2 run as DeMuth hit back-to-back baskets. Jones forced an ISU timeout as she picked up a steal at half court and scored an uncontested basket.
The Cardinals cold shooting came back though, as they hit just one of their last 13 shots in the final eight minutes of the half as Indiana State closed on a 15-3 run. The Sycamores again did their damage from long range as they hit three down the stretch with Kelsey Luna connecting on a pair in transition.
Ball State's shooting woes continued in the first half as the Cardinals connected on just 20 percent (seven-of-35) from the field, including missing all eight three-point shots in the opening frame. The 15-point first half output for the Cardinals is the lowest of the season for BSU. DeMuth and Green each scored four points to lead the Cardinals in the first half.
Indiana State on the other hand connected on 40 percent from the field (12-of-30) and 41.2 percent (seven-of-17) from three-point land. Luna led all first half scorers with 11 points while Phillips chipped in nine points off of the bench.
Ball State (3-6) regrouped in the locker room and came out displaying heart from the start as chipped away at the deficit. The Cardinals' shooting reversed course in the second half as they connected on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the field as they out-scored Indiana State 42-24 in the second half.
The Cardinals pulled within 43-27 with an 8-2 run as Jarrett scored four points in the spurt and Rusche scored on a basket in transition. Maggert continued the Cardinals' surge as she scored on back-to-back possessions to force an ISU timeout.
Indiana State (5-2) slowed the Cardinals' momentum with a couple three-pointers to extend the lead back to 18-points at 57-39. Ball State turned up the pressure on both ends of the floor over the final 4:10 of the game as the Cardinals closed the game on an 18-4 run to put the pressure on the Sycamores.
Jones ignited the run as she hit back-to-back three-pointers before Green took over the game down the stretch trying to will the Cardinals to the victory. Green hit a pair of free throws with 1:50 remaining to pull within 10 points, while Rusche scored on a put-back to narrow the deficit to single digits with 57 seconds left.
Indiana State went to the foul line looking to seal the victory but missed the front end of a one-and-one giving the Cardinals the ball back. Green was quickly fouled and sunk both of her free throws with 23 seconds left to pull within six points. The Ball State defense forced an Indiana State turnover on the ensuing possession and Green scored on a driving lay-up to narrow the margin to 59-55.
The Sycamores kept the door open for the Cardinals as they hit the first free throw after BSU intentionally fouled but missed the second attempt. Ball State pushed the ball up the court and Green drove to the basket for the easy put in to pull within three at 60-57. Indiana State hit a free throw with seven seconds remaining to seal the victory as the Cardinals ran out of time in their comeback.
Ball State finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (23-of-63) from the field and just 23.1 percent (three-of-13) from three-point land. The Cardinals also won the rebounding game with a 44-35 advantage, including a 22-10 advantage during their second half comeback.
Indiana State finished the game shooting 36.8 percent (21-of-57) from the field and 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from three-point land. Four different players scored in double figures with Luna leading the team with 14 points. Laura Rudolphi posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cardinals will be back in action for the third time in five days when they travel to Evansville Saturday evening to face the Purple Aces at 6 p.m. (ET)
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