Saturday, December 5
Bowling Green, KY
3 p.m.
Ball State University
1-3,0-1MAC
58
at
54
Western Kentucky University
-02,00 CUSA
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
10
11
16
21
58
Western Ky.
10
14
11
19
54
Women’s Basketball Fights Off Lady Toppers Late Comeback; Earns Road Win
December 05, 2020 | Women's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Today's game was a defensive battle, but the Ball State women's basketball team fought to the very end to bring home the 58-54 victory over Western Kentucky Saturday evening in E.A. Diddle Arena.
"Really proud the group today," Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. "The team showed some real toughness and made some progress defensively today. Our resiliency was key and when you combine that with toughness, good things happen!"
The Cardinals (1-2) heated up offensively late in the fourth quarter, as Sydney Freeman knocked down a 3-pointer at the 6:55 mark to spark a 13-4 scoring spree for Ball State. Essence Booker, along with teammates Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Annie Rauch and Maliah Howard-Bass helped the Cardinals in the offensive run that led to a nine-point (52-43) cushion for BSU with just 2:45 left in the game.
The Lady Toppers (0-2) threw some punches of their own late in the fourth frame. With just five seconds left in the contest WKU managed to put together an 8-2 run to come within two points (56-54) of the Cardinals.
After that, WKU's Jordan Smith sent Booker to the line where the newcomer sealed the Cardinals win by going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
In a game that consisted of eight ties and seven lead changes, you knew it was going to be a close throughout the 40-minute duration of the ball game. Both teams went neck and neck in the first two quarters. The contest was knotted at 10 after the first frame, while WKU held a slight 24-21 edge over Ball State at intermission.
The Cardinals placed four in double figures in the win, with Agustsdottir and Booker leading the way with 15 points apiece. It was a personal best for Booker. Rauch finished the game with her first double-double of her career after scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Howard-Bass would close out the double digit scoring for BSU with 10 points.
The Ball State women's basketball team will remain on the road when it plays at Bellarmine on Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Freedom Hall.
"Really proud the group today," Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. "The team showed some real toughness and made some progress defensively today. Our resiliency was key and when you combine that with toughness, good things happen!"
The Cardinals (1-2) heated up offensively late in the fourth quarter, as Sydney Freeman knocked down a 3-pointer at the 6:55 mark to spark a 13-4 scoring spree for Ball State. Essence Booker, along with teammates Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Annie Rauch and Maliah Howard-Bass helped the Cardinals in the offensive run that led to a nine-point (52-43) cushion for BSU with just 2:45 left in the game.
The Lady Toppers (0-2) threw some punches of their own late in the fourth frame. With just five seconds left in the contest WKU managed to put together an 8-2 run to come within two points (56-54) of the Cardinals.
After that, WKU's Jordan Smith sent Booker to the line where the newcomer sealed the Cardinals win by going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
In a game that consisted of eight ties and seven lead changes, you knew it was going to be a close throughout the 40-minute duration of the ball game. Both teams went neck and neck in the first two quarters. The contest was knotted at 10 after the first frame, while WKU held a slight 24-21 edge over Ball State at intermission.
The Cardinals placed four in double figures in the win, with Agustsdottir and Booker leading the way with 15 points apiece. It was a personal best for Booker. Rauch finished the game with her first double-double of her career after scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Howard-Bass would close out the double digit scoring for BSU with 10 points.
The Ball State women's basketball team will remain on the road when it plays at Bellarmine on Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Freedom Hall.
Team Stats
BSU
WestKy
FG%
.305
.365
3FG%
.217
.067
FT%
.773
.625
RB
41
41
TO
21
24
STL
7
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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