Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
7-7, 3-0MAC
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Western Michigan
9-5, 2-1MAC
WBB Remains Undefeated In the MAC With Win Over WMU
January 10, 2015 | Women's Basketball
By Doug Zaleski
BallStateSports.com
Shelbie Justice couldn't hide the battle scar she picked up Saturday during the Ball State women's basketball game. The shiner under her left eye was a telltale sign of the physical nature with which the Cardinals are playing early in the Mid-American Conference season.
“Coach said coming into this game that it was going to be tough, and we had to show that toughness and heart to win this game,” she said. “Our team showed that today.”
The Cardinals again displayed their aggressive style and used it to wear down Western Michigan for a 54-36 victory in Worthen Arena.
Ball State (7-7, 3-0 MAC West) has made an impact with its defense early in the conference season.
“We're trying to pressure the ball more and play harder,” Cardinals coach Brady Sallee said. “We're extending our defense into the full court and we're seeing our offense flow out of our defense now.
“We're establishing an identity. There's no question who our warrior is. Shelbie has taken that role and is thriving in it.”
Western Michigan (9-5, 2-1 MAC West) shot just 26.8 percent from the field against the Cardinals. The Broncos made only 1-of-15 3-point field goals and turned the ball over 20 times.
Sallee said his preferred way of playing defense is sticking with man-to-man, but he recognizes how effective his team has been when switching up its looks.
“We've gotten very good at changing defenses,” Cardinals center Renee Bennett said. “It makes it more fun for us to play with something different. Everyone always talks with each other, and when we switch to all these defenses it keeps us on our toes. That works better for us than focusing on one thing all the time.”
The Cardinals put the game out of reach early in the second half, perhaps surprisingly with top player Nathalie Fontaine on the bench for a long stretch.
Fontaine was out for about five minutes, and the Cardinals turned an eight-point lead into a 14-point cushion when she was on the bench.
“Nathalie was getting a lot of attention from (Western Michigan),” Sallee said. “Funny as it sounds, when we took her out, I don't know if they relaxed a little bit or now they had to play us straight up … (but) our stuff seemed to work a little better.
“You can credit (Justice) a little bit because she got to the rim and was finishing in that stretch.”
Justice led the Cardinals with 18 points, shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Fontaine added 12 points. Bennett collected seven rebounds, one shy of her career high.
Ball State will play at home again at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Kent State.
