Ball State University
12-4, 4-1MAC
Bowling Green
5-9, 1-4MAC
WBB Head Coach Brady Sallee Wins 200th Game At BGSU
January 16, 2016 | Women's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Ball State women's basketball coach Brady Sallee won his 200th game as the Cardinals defeated Bowling Green 67-56 in the Stroh Center Saturday afternoon.
With the win Ball State improves to (12-4, 4-1 MAC) on the season while Bowling Green falls to (5-9, 1-4 MAC) for the year.
"I liked the poise that we showed when Bowling Green cut it to two," Sallee said. "I thought we had calmness about us that good teams have, we answered the challenge and came out and played a lot better on defense. We really took them out of what they were trying to do to us. I thought Nat made some timely plays that kind of opened it back up with some offensive rebounds and some real gritty post plays. Of course when you have five in double figures, that's the way I want my teams to look. So the balance was there, the toughness was there, the intensity was there and that's the way you win on the road."
Despite Nathalie Fontaine being held to 12 points, the Cardinals' guards had to step up as freshman guard Carmen Grande scored a career best 18 points. After struggling from the field in the first half, junior guard Jill Morrison scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half. Sophomore guard Moriah Monaco and junior center Renee Bennett rounded out the double digit scoring with 10 points apiece. Fontaine led the Cardinals defensively pulling down 12 rebounds for her 27th career double-double.
The Cardinals won the boards battle, out-rebounding the Falcons 38-to-27. Ball State continues to dominate its opponents in the paint outscoring Bowling Green, 24-to-18.
At the start of the third quarter, Ball State pushed its 11-point halftime edge to 37-23 after Monaco scored a 3-point basket to start the second half. Bowling Green answered with a 9-2 run to cut Ball State's lead to seven 39-32 with just under five minutes to play.
Bowling Green continued to give the Cardinals a run for their money in the second half. The Falcons turned up the defense and also did well offensively, to make it a 39-32 ball game at the 5:30 mark. Ball State made some much needed baskets to lead by nine at end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Bowling Green went on a 15-8 run to cut Ball State's lead to two (56-54) with 4:20 remaining in the ball game. But the Cardinals answered quickly to end the contest with an 11-2 run after some key plays from Fontaine which secured the victory for Ball State.
Both teams played tough defensively in the opening half, with the game tied 14-14 after the first quarter. The Cardinals outscored the Falcons 20-9 in the second quarter after some help from Grande, the true freshman point guardknocked down three 3-point baskets.
Ball State's defense held Bowling Green scoreless for 3:52 to end the half with a 34-23 lead. Jill Morrison capped
the half off with a 3-point basket at the buzzer.
The Ball State women's basketball team returns to Worthen Arena in Mid-American Conference action Wednesday, when it hosts Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m.
