Ball State University
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Western Michigan
Women's Basketball Opens MAC Season with 70-55 Win
January 07, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Setting the pace with a 12 point run nearing the end of the first half, the defending Mid-American Conference Champion Ball State Cardinals (6-7; 1-0) clinched its first conference win of the season, over Western Michigan (5-9; 0-1). The 70-55 win in Ball State's Worthen Arena marks the fourth consecutive year the Cardinals have won the season opener.
"We are excited to begin conference play with a win," said Ball State head coach Kelly Packard. "We thrive in structure. We stayed disciplined. We showed a sign of growth and patience in that stretch near the end of the first half."
Playing in the 13th game of the season, Ball State was led by junior forward Emily Maggert, who broke the 500 mark in career rebounds. Scoring 14 points and adding nine rebounds against the Broncos, Maggert, who celebrated her 21st birthday with the win, now has 507 career rebounds, which ranks the team tri-captain 15th on the Cardinals' all-time rebound list.
Maggert needs just 24 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau, which would make her the first junior to reach the mark since 2003-04 when Kate Endress and Johna Goff completed the deed.
"When you start the conference season it is a new slate," said Maggert. "We needed to start with a win at home; that was important."
Leading the team with 19 points scored was junior Ty'Ronda Benning who also added two rebounds. Seniors Audrey McDonald and Danielle Gratton were not far behind, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively. Freshman Patrice King was the first to score in both halves and totaled seven points in the game.
With the lead changing just four times, the Cardinals shot for better than 50 percent during the first half and kept their rhythm throughout the game. The Broncos, however, struggled from the start, shooting just 36 percent in the first half and unable to keep pace with the Cardinals at the end.
Ball State will return to action Saturday, when the Cardinals travel to DeKalb, Ill. to face Northern Illinois.
