Bennett Scores 22 Points In WBB's Loss At CMU

Wednesday, January 11

Mount Pleasant, MI

7:00 PM

Ball State University

10-6, 3-1

101

Central Michigan University

12-4, 4-0

Ball State

Central Michigan

101

January 11, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Ball State vs. Central Michigan Final Stats

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Ball State women's basketball team suffered its first Mid-American Conference loss when it fell 101-92 to undefeated Central Michigan Wednesday night in McGuirk Arena.

With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 10-6 overall and 3-1 in league action while the Chippewas improve to 12-4 on the season and 4-0 in conference action.

Senior center Renee Bennett paced Ball State with 22-points off of 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Carmen Grande along with teammate junior forward Moriah Monaco each registered 15-points apiece. Sophomore guard Destiny Washington added 13 points and junior guard Frannie Frazier rounded out the double digit scoring for the Cardinals with 12 points.

Both teams shot well from the floor. Ball State shot 53.6 percent from the field while Central Michigan finished with a 58.1 shooting percentage. It was Central Michigan's hot hand from behind the arc that kept putting them back on top, as the Chippewas shot a staggering 60.7 percent from the 3-point line off of 17-of-28 shooting.

The first quarter consisted of three ties and four lead changes with both teams shooting well to start the contest. Ball State held onto a lead for 3:40 with its largest advantage coming at the 6:40 mark (16-12) after Morrison knocked down a 3-point basket. The Chippewas then rattled off 19 of the next 25 points to take a 31-22 lead heading into the second period.

Central Michigan continued to control the contest in the second stanza, eventually building a 14-point (53-39) cushion with 1:51 remaining. Ball State responded with a 9-0 run which was sparked after a layup from Bennett. The Cardinals turned their defense up a notch and made some pivotal plays while holding the Chippewas scoreless for the last two minutes of play. Grande ended intermission with a last second half court shot to make it a 53-48 contest at the half.

The Chippewas continued to catch fire from behind the 3-point line in the opening minutes of the second half, converting on back-to-back treys to go back up by nine (61-52) with just three minutes shaved off the clock. Monaco then rattled off five-straight points for the Cardinals to bring Ball State back within three points (64-61) with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

Central Michigan started the last period up 80-71. However, the Cardinals orchestrated a 21-11 scoring spree, capped by a Washington layup, to bring Ball State within one-point (92-91) with 3:59 left to play.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they wouldn't get any closer to Central Michigan the rest of the way. The Chippewas scored the remaining nine points of the contest to seal their victory.

The Ball State women's basketball team returns home Saturday afternoon for a cross-division match-up against Akron. The contest is slated for a 2 p.m. tipoff in Worthen Arena and can be viewed on ESPN3.