Ball State University
Butler
WBB Suffers 55-43 Setback at Butler
December 10, 2011 | Women's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Ball State women's basketball team (4-5) suffered a 55-43 loss to in-state rival Butler (2-7) Friday night in Worthen Arena.
Butler led the entire second half despite Ball State pulling within six points (47-41) with under three minutes left to play in the contest after sophomore forward Jazmin Hitchens hit a basket. The Cardinals were held to a 33.3 percent shooting mark from the field while, Butler shot 45.5 percent.
Ball State was led by freshman guard Shelbie Justice who had a career-high nine points while teammates senior forward Suzanne Grossnickle and junior guard Mercedes Miller each contributed seven points on the night. Grossnickle also led the Cardinals defensively with four rebounds.
At halftime Ball State trailed Butler by a score of 25-17. The Cardinals started the first half scoring five straight points off of a jumper from sophomore forward Katie Murphy and a three-pointer from Justice but the Bulldogs quickly answered back with a 6-0 run to go up 6-5 over Ball State with 14:04 left. The Bulldogs never looked back after their early run, eventually building a 8-point (15-7) advantage over Ball State with 8:29 remaining and then again to end the half.
The Ball State women's basketball team begins its two-game homestand Sunday when it hosts Austin Peay at 1 p.m. in Worthen Arena. To purchase tickets to the game, go to www.ballstatesports.com or call the ticket office at 1.888.BSU.TICKET.
