Ball State University
Northern Illinois
Women?s Basketball Rallies Past Northern Illinois, 81-70
March 01, 2007 | Women's Basketball
DEKALB, Ill. ? The Ball State women's basketball team turned in its seventh come from behind victory of the season as the Cardinals rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to down Mid-American Conference West Division rival Northern Illinois, 81-70 on Wednesday night in the regular season finale at the Convocation Center.
The victory improves the Cardinals to 22-5 overall on the season and 13-3 in MAC play heading into the conference tournament. The 22 victories are the second most in a single season in Ball State history and the most regular season victories in program history. The 13 wins in MAC play also ties the program record for conference victories.
“We didn't play our best in the first half but we came out in the second half and were a different team” head coach Tracy Roller said. “We were very aggressive on both ends of the floor from the start of the second half and our play dictated the entire half. Our team was never going to stop fighting tonight and this victory is a good way for us to head into the conference tournament with some confidence.”
Junior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) led the Cardinal attack as she posted her 10th double-double of the season and 23rd of her career against the Huskies. DeMuth finished with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as she connected on six-of-13 from the field and eight-of-nine from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop H.S.) also turned in a stellar effort in her regular season finale as she poured in a game-high 22 points. Corbin finished the night six-of-11 from the field and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe in the victory.
The Cardinals' aggressive play led to a dominating performance from the free throw line. Ball State connected on 32-of-35 (91.4%) from the charity stripe in the game, including 24-of-27 (88.9%) in the second half.
Northern Illinois (17-11, 8-8 MAC) used the emotion of senior night to jump out to a quick 12-4 lead just four minutes into the game. The Huskies hit five of their first seven shots, including their first two three-pointers.
The Cardinals weathered the storm and pulled within one points at 19-18 on the strength of an 8-1 run. Sophomore guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington H.S.) keyed the spurt with four points in the run including a strong drive to the basket to cap the run.
The Huskies responded to the BSU run and scored 13 unanswered points to take its largest lead of the half at 32-18. The Cardinals countered with a 10-2 spurt to pull within six points as senior guard Tina Bolte (Columbus, Ind./North H.S.) nailed back-to-back jumpers in transition.
The Cardinals went into the locker room trailing NIU, 41-32. Ball State connected on just 12-of-31 (38.7%) from the field in the opening frame and was held without a three-point basket on six long range attempts. Northern Illinois on the other hand hit 16-of-34 (47.1%) from the field and connected on six-of-12 (50%) from three-point land in the half.
BSU had seven players scored in the first half as they battled through some foul trouble. Four players scored six points each to pace the Cardinal attack with DeMuth added eight rebounds to her point total. NIU was paced by Jessie Wilcox who scored 11 points on the strength of three-of-three three-pointers in the half.
The Cardinals came out of the break and jumped on the Huskies with a 10-0 run to start the half to take their first lead of the game at 42-41. Green and Corbin were the catalysts for the run as they combined to score all 10 points. Green started the run with five straight points including the Cardinals' first three-pointer of the night while Corbin capped the run with an old-fashioned three-point play.
Ball State looked to DeMuth to extend its lead as the junior forward scored 12 points in a seven minute stretch of the second half. DeMuth converted two old-fashioned three-point plays in the run and was four-of-five from the charity stripe as BSU took a 65-57 lead.
The Cardinals sealed the victory from the free throw line as they connected on 16-of-16 from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of the game. The Cardinals out-scored the Huskies 49-29 in the second half as they connected on 12-of-25(48%) and held NIU to just 10 second half field goals. The Huskies also struggled from three-point land in the second half as they missed all seven shots from long range in the second frame.
Green finished the night with 17 points as she was five-of-eight from the field and a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe. Bolte added eight points on four-of-six shooting while freshman guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) added six points, all coming from the charity stripe.
Northern Illinois was led by Wilcox who finished with 19 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the field. Kristin Wiener added 18 points while Stephanie Raymond chipped in 15 points and seven assists in the loss.
The Cardinals will head into the 2007 Kraft Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament as the number one seed from the West Division. Ball State will have a bye in the first round of the tournament and will not open play until Tuesday March 6 in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals will face the winner of the Miami/Western Michigan first round game.
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