Thursday, March 21
Muncie, Ind.
4 pm ET
Ball State University
28-6,16-2MAC
59
vs
77
Belmont University
26-8,17-3MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Belmont
16
19
24
18
77
Ball St.
14
18
9
18
59
WBB Ends Record-Breaking Season with First Round WBIT Loss to Belmont
March 21, 2024 | Women's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - It was an emotional game as Ball State and Belmont were playing to keep their respective seasons alive Thursday afternoon in Worthen Arena during the first round of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament hosted by the NCAA.
Unfortunately, the host Cardinals (28-6) were unable to recover from serious first-half foul trouble as the Bruins (26-8) avenged last season's WNIT first round loss on the same court with a 77-59 victory.
Both teams opened with a ton of passion, strong defense, and intensity underneath the basket, with Belmont holding a slight 9-7 edge at the media timeout. The contest continued to be a defensive battle, with the teams combining to force 11 turnovers, as the Bruins closed the first stanza with a two-point (18-16) edge.
The Cardinals could not seem to get their offensive groove going until Nyla Hampton hit back-to-back 3's to bring BSU within three at 27-24 with 3:48 remaining. A crazy final three minutes of the opening half ultimately saw Belmont keep a three-point lead, at 35-32, heading into intermission.
Belmont came out of the gates strong after the break, opening the third quarter with a 9-0 run to go back up by nine (44-32) at the 6:50 mark. The Bruins finished the third frame outscoring the Cardinals 24-9 to take a 59-41 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play.
After that, Belmont continued to outplay Ball State the remainder of the contest stopping the Cardinals in their tracks despite BSU's efforts for a possible comeback.
For the game, Hampton led the Cardinals with 14 points while Marie Kiefer led defensively with eight rebounds.
Ball State had a successful season with its 28 overall wins and 16 Mid-American Conference victories beingprogram records. The Cardinals were the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the third-straight season and were getting votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks during the season.
The WBIT was also the the ninth postseason appearance under 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee, is the only head coach in program history to take the Cardinals to nine postseason tournaments. He is also the program's winningest coach with 237 victories.
Unfortunately, the host Cardinals (28-6) were unable to recover from serious first-half foul trouble as the Bruins (26-8) avenged last season's WNIT first round loss on the same court with a 77-59 victory.
Both teams opened with a ton of passion, strong defense, and intensity underneath the basket, with Belmont holding a slight 9-7 edge at the media timeout. The contest continued to be a defensive battle, with the teams combining to force 11 turnovers, as the Bruins closed the first stanza with a two-point (18-16) edge.
The Cardinals could not seem to get their offensive groove going until Nyla Hampton hit back-to-back 3's to bring BSU within three at 27-24 with 3:48 remaining. A crazy final three minutes of the opening half ultimately saw Belmont keep a three-point lead, at 35-32, heading into intermission.
Belmont came out of the gates strong after the break, opening the third quarter with a 9-0 run to go back up by nine (44-32) at the 6:50 mark. The Bruins finished the third frame outscoring the Cardinals 24-9 to take a 59-41 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play.
After that, Belmont continued to outplay Ball State the remainder of the contest stopping the Cardinals in their tracks despite BSU's efforts for a possible comeback.
For the game, Hampton led the Cardinals with 14 points while Marie Kiefer led defensively with eight rebounds.
Ball State had a successful season with its 28 overall wins and 16 Mid-American Conference victories beingprogram records. The Cardinals were the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the third-straight season and were getting votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks during the season.
The WBIT was also the the ninth postseason appearance under 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee, is the only head coach in program history to take the Cardinals to nine postseason tournaments. He is also the program's winningest coach with 237 victories.
Team Stats
BEL
BSU
FG%
.500
.373
3FG%
.458
.211
FT%
.933
.708
RB
32
30
TO
15
16
STL
11
9
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Basketball
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