Ball State University
Eastern Michigan
WBB Suffers 81-73 loss to Eastern Michigan
February 17, 2011 | Women's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State University women's basketball team (9-16, 4-8 MAC) fell 81-73 in Mid-American Conference action to Eastern Michigan (17-9, 8-4 MAC) Wednesday night in Worthen Arena.
Four Cardinals managed double digit scoring on the night with senior guard Ty'Ronda Benning leading the way with 14 points. Ebony Jackson added 13 points, Suzanne Grossnickle scored 11 and Emily Maggert managed 10 points.
Ball State raced out to a 45-39 halftime lead, and led by as many as 15 in the first half - 38-23 and 40-25.
But, with just five minutes shaved off the clock in the second half, Eastern Michigan had managed to go on a 12-2 run to take a four-point (51-47) advantage over the Cardinals. Benning snapped the Eagles scoring run by knocking down two from the charity stripe to make it a 51-49 ball game with 13:13 to play.
The Cardinals continued to trail the Eagles, but slowly chipped away at their lead going on a 5-0 run, sparked by a layup from sophomore guard Shanee' Jackson to make it a 63-59 game with 6:03 left.
Eastern Michigan was led by Cassie Schrock's 38 points and nine assists.
After connecting on 56 percent of its field goals in the first half, Ball State only made 23 percent of its second half field goals at the Eagles outscored the Cardinals 42-28 in the second period.
Ball State's bench, led by Grossnickle's 11 points tallied 25 of the Cardinals points, while Ball State's defense limited Eastern Michigan's bench to five points.
Maggert and Jackson shared Ball State's rebounding honors with seven apiece, while Shanee's Jackson added five boards, six points, one assist and one steal.
The Ball State University women's basketball team continues MAC action when it hosts Toledo Saturday for its Think Pink game at Worthen Arena with a 1 p.m. tipoff. The game can be seen live online, campus Cardinal Vision 57, Muncie Comcast Cable 61, Indiana Comcast 81 (tape delayed) and Fox College Sports national (tape delayed).
