OXFORD, Ohio ? The Ball State women's basketball team couldn't dig out of an early deficit as the Cardinals fell to Mid-American Conference rival Miami 69-58 on Wednesday night at Millett Hall. The loss drops the Cardinals to 10-13 on the season and 6-4 in MAC play as they are now a game out of first place behind Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
“We knew we would be in a battle with a very good Miami team but we didn't come out with that intensity from the start and found ourselves in a whole early,” acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. “We have six games to find our consistency before we head to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament and that will be our focus as we move ahead.”
Ball State shot just 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field in the loss and just 15.4 percent (two-of-13) from three-point land. The Cardinals also committed 17 turnovers as they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first half. Miami (15-9, 7-3 MAC) connected on 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field and hit 10 three-pointers in the victory.
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) paced the Cardinals' effort as she posted her fourth double-double of the season with a team-high 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Green's efforts weren't enough to combat Miami's duo of Amanda Jackson and Jenna Schone as they combined for 44 out of the RedHawks' 69 points.
The Cardinals came out cold in the first half as they opened the game hitting just one of their first 11 shots from the field as Miami jumped out to a 17-2 lead just over seven minutes into the game. The RedHawks continued their fast start by opening up a 29-9 lead just 10 minutes into the game.
Ball State started to get back into rhythm as it posted a 10-3 run to pull within 32-20 with 3:32 left in the half. Senior forward Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) started the run as she scored on three straight possessions to kick start the Cardinals' stagnant offense.
Miami answered the Cardinals' spurt with a pair of three-pointers to push the lead back to 19 points before Green scored in transition to send the Cardinals into the locker room trailing 40-23.
The Cardinals struggle offensively in the first half as they hit just 25 percent (seven-of-28) from the field and missed all six three-point shots in the opening frame. Conversely, Miami connected on 37.8 percent (14-of-37) from the field including seven-of-16 (43.8%) from three-point land to take the 17-point first half lead.
Rusche led all Cardinal scorers in the first half with eight points on four-of-six shooting from the field. Green added six points and a half-high seven rebounds as the Cardinals out-rebounded Miami 25-23 in the first half. Miami was paced by Jackson as she scored 12 first half points while Schone added 11 points for the RedHawks.
The Cardinals came out of the break and looked to chip away at the Miami lead as Green scored six straight points. Freshman forward Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris) added back-to-back baskets to pull the Cardinals within 14 points at 49-35. Miami responded with seven straight to extend the lead back above 20-points.
Ball State ran off a 12-4 run to pull within 60-47 as freshman guard Shannon Klei (Coldspring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) nailed a pair of three-pointers off of the bench. Maggert also added two baskets as the BSU freshman accounted for 10 of the 12 points during the spurt.
Miami once again came through with big baskets to nullify the Cardinals' momentum as Schone nailed her fifth three-pointer of the game to seal the victory with less than two minutes remaining. Ball State scored the final six points of the game to pull within 11 points, its closest margin since early in the first half.
Maggert finished the night with 10 points as she was five-of-10 shooting from the field. Rusche also chipped in 10 points on five-of-eight shooting while recording seven rebounds. Klei scored a career-high nine points in the loss as she played 19 minutes off of the bench.
The Cardinals finished the game with a 45-40 advantage on the boards, marking the second straight contest in which BSU has won the battle on the glass. Senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) grabbed nine rebounds in the loss for the Cardinals.
Jackson, the MAC's leading scorer, led Miami with 25 points as she was nine-of-21 from the field and five-of-five from the free throw line. Schone added 19 points as she connected on seven-of-11 from the field and hit five three-pointers. Laura Markwood chipped in eight points and 12 rebounds while Stephanie Ford grabbed 10 rebounds for the RedHawks.
The Cardinals will continue their MAC-East Division road swing Saturday afternoon as they travel to Kent State. Game time is set for 12 p.m. and will be broadcast on FSN Ohio as part of the MAC Television Package.
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