Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
19-11,11-8MAC
Northern Illinois University
14-15,11-9MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball St. | 11 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 60 |
| Northern Ill. | 24 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 54 |
Women’s Basketball Completes Comeback vs. Northern Illinois; Advances to MAC Tournament Semifinals
March 09, 2022 | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND - The No. 5 seed Ball State women's basketball team pulled the 60-54 comeback win over No. 4 Northern Illinois Wednesday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage Field House to advance to the 2022 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2015 season.
It also marks the first time the Cardinals have won a tournament contest in Cleveland since the 2014 season. Ball State was the fifth seed that year and advanced all the way to the championships.
It was an all-around team performance today by the Cardinals, headed by All-MAC Third Team recipient and MAC Freshman Team honoree Ally Becki, who had 15 points while going 3-of-6 from the 3-point line. Behind Becki was All-MAC Honorable Mention Team member senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir and junior Sydney Freeman who tallied 10 points apiece.
Ball State's defense gave Northern Illinois fits in the second, third and fourth quarters. The Cardinals scored 19 points off the Huskies 19 miscues overall. After falling behind early in the first quarter of play, the Cardinals managed to outscore the Huskies 49-30 for the remainder of the game.
The Huskies dominated the first quarter of play with a 24-11 scoring spree to start today's game. The Cardinals battled back and turned up their half court pressure defense, and started hitting their shots from behind the arc in the second quarter of play to get within single digits. Junior Estel Puiggros nailed one from behind the arc to bring Ball State within eight (29-21) with 6:01 left. NIU managed to go back up by 10 (34-24) over BSU at intermission.
The Cardinals were quiet, but they began to make their comeback after the break. Ball State played scrappy, and its defense intensified, causing some Northern Illinois miscues that allowed the Cardinals to come within four (44-40) heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the fourth quarter after Ball State took its first lead of the contest at exactly the 8:29 mark after a free throw from graduate student Chyna Latimer. Latimer then hit another layup with 4:16 on the clock to put BSU up 51-48, a lead that the Cardinals would not relinquish down stretch.
The fifth-seeded Ball State women's basketball team will continue its journey for a Mid-American Conference Tournament title when it faces top-seeded Toledo Friday at 10 a.m. ET in game 1 of the semifinals.
