Ball State University
8-2,0-0MAC
University of Pittsburgh
6-4,0-0ACC
Women’s Basketball Defeats ACC Foe Pitt in OT; Extends Win Streak to Six
December 11, 2022 | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Ball State (8-2) prevailed in overtime as the Cardinals moved past ACC foe Pitt (6-4) by a score of 68-66 Sunday afternoon in the Petersen Events Center.
The Cardinals are off to one of their best starts in program history. Today's win marks the first time the Ball State women's basketball team has defeated Pitt.
Ball State head coach Brady Sallee has now defeated five Power 5 conference teams during his tenure with the Cardinals— Minnesota (54-51, 2012-13), Iowa (77-72, 2015-16), Vanderbilt (88-79, 2017-18), Purdue (66-60, 2017-18) and Pitt (68-66, 2022-23).
"Proud of my teams toughness and resolve today," Sallee said. "Amazing to see our effort level after four games in nine days!"
Ball State was in the drivers seat most of the contest, holding a lead over Pitt for 27:08 of the game's 40 minutes. But the contest was a competitive one which caused the game to go into an extra period today.
In overtime, sophomore Madelyn Bischoff nailed a 3-pointer to put the Cardinals up by three (67-64) with 1:32 left. Pitt would answer on the ensuing possession. A few plays later Pitt had the ball but a rebound from redshirt senior Anna Clephane and the ensuing foul on the play sent her to the line. Clephane made only one of her free throws, but that was enough to seal the victory for Ball State.
The Cardinals struggled in the first six minutes of play as Ball State fell behind the Panthers 12-2 at the 6:01 mark. Sophomore Alex Richard drew a foul from the 3-point line and made all three from the charity stripe, which sparked a 14-0 scoring spree for the Cardinals to end the first quarter of play. A made layup by senior Annie Rauch allowed Ball State to take a 16-12 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Pitt quickly knotted the game 16-16 with seconds shaved off the clock in the second stanza. After that, it was a battle between the two squads on both sides of the court. The back-and-forth affair was tied four times before graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir drained one from behind the arc with 19 seconds on the clock to give Ball State the 29-26 edge over Pitt at intermission.
Sophomore Ally Becki and Bischoff hit back-to-back jumpers to start the Cardinals off hot after halftime to put Ball State up by nine (35-26). Just a few minutes later, Pitt cut the margin back to five (35-30). But Ball State punched back with an 8-4 run to take its largest lead of the ball game (43-30) at the 5:45 mark.
Pitt wouldn't go away quietly and would come on strong the remainder of the third quarter to make it a close contest. Senior Sydney Shafer was the spark Ball State needed as she came off the bench to hit back-to-back 3-point baskets to put Ball State back up by 10 (53-43). The Cardinals outscored the Panthers in the third stanza, 24-17.
Pitt continued to chop at the heels of the Cardinals in the fourth quarter and managed to tie the game 53-53 with 6:15 remaining in the contest. The final period remained close and would end up going into overtime.
For the game, Richard led Ball State with a career-high 18 points. Agustsdottir chipped in 14 points, while teammates Bischoff and Becki finished the day with 10 apiece. Becki also led the Cardinals with 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
The Ball State women's basketball team will take a week off for finals before returning to the road against Tarleton State (Dec. 19) and Richmond (Dec. 20) at the Puerto Rico Classic.
