Saturday, January 25
DeKalb, IL
2 pm
Ball State University
16-4,8-0MAC
81
at
62
Northern Illinois University
8-11,2-6MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
13
18
25
25
81
NIU
15
10
16
21
62
Photo by: Amber Pietz, Ball State Creative Services
Second Half Dominance Leads to WBB’s Win at NIU
January 25, 2025 | Women's Basketball
DEKALB, Ill. - It was a tightly contested first half, but the Cardinals dominated offensively after intermission which helped Ball State move past Northern Illinois 81-62 Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center.
With the win, Ball State improved to 16-4 overall and remained undefeated (8-0) in Mid-American Conference action while also extending its win streak to 10. Northern Illinois fell to 8-11 on the year and 2-6 in conference action.
Ally Becki led all scorers with a 20-point performance. Not too far behind Becki was Lachelle Austin, as she registered 17 points. Rounding out the double-digit scoring for Ball State was Maliyah "MJ" Johnson with 13 and Madelyn Bischoff who ended the day with 11.
Defensively, the Cardinals were led by Alex Richard who pulled down 10 boards.
As a team, Ball State outscored Northern Illinois in the paint, 40-26 while also outrebounding the Huskies, 45-35.
Austin opened the game for the Cardinals with a 3-pointer right after tipoff giving BSU the early 3-0 edge over the Huskies. Ball State controlled the tempo building a six-point edge (13-7) by the 4:08 mark. Northern Illinois amped-up its defense and closed out the first stanza with an 8-point scoring spree that would give the Huskies the 15-13 advantage over the Cardinals to end the first.
After that, it was an up-and-down affair the second 10 minutes of play as both teams fought for each possession. The Cardinals began to attack the basket, drawing some fouls from the Huskies. Becki and Austin went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to give BSU back the upper hand. A tip-in by Richard put the Cardinals back up 23-18 just under the five-minute mark. Bischoff's 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in the half, allowed Ball State to take a 31-25 lead over Northern Illinois at intermission.
Finally in the third stanza, the Cardinals were able to outpace the Huskies 25-16 allowing Ball State to jump ahead of Northern Illinois, 56-41, as both squads headed into the final 10 minutes of action.
The offensive dominance continued by Ball State throughout the fourth quarter. A layup from Marie Kiefer increased BSU's lead to 20 (70-50) with 4:40 left in the ball game. All-in-all the Cardinals hot shooting hand made it difficult for NIU to come within in reach of BSU the remainder of the contest. Ball State also shot a staggering 67 percent (10-15) from the field in the final period.
The Ball State women's basketball team continues its two-game road swing when it travels to Ohio University Wednesday for a 7 pm ET tip-off in the Convocation Center.
With the win, Ball State improved to 16-4 overall and remained undefeated (8-0) in Mid-American Conference action while also extending its win streak to 10. Northern Illinois fell to 8-11 on the year and 2-6 in conference action.
Ally Becki led all scorers with a 20-point performance. Not too far behind Becki was Lachelle Austin, as she registered 17 points. Rounding out the double-digit scoring for Ball State was Maliyah "MJ" Johnson with 13 and Madelyn Bischoff who ended the day with 11.
Defensively, the Cardinals were led by Alex Richard who pulled down 10 boards.
As a team, Ball State outscored Northern Illinois in the paint, 40-26 while also outrebounding the Huskies, 45-35.
Austin opened the game for the Cardinals with a 3-pointer right after tipoff giving BSU the early 3-0 edge over the Huskies. Ball State controlled the tempo building a six-point edge (13-7) by the 4:08 mark. Northern Illinois amped-up its defense and closed out the first stanza with an 8-point scoring spree that would give the Huskies the 15-13 advantage over the Cardinals to end the first.
After that, it was an up-and-down affair the second 10 minutes of play as both teams fought for each possession. The Cardinals began to attack the basket, drawing some fouls from the Huskies. Becki and Austin went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to give BSU back the upper hand. A tip-in by Richard put the Cardinals back up 23-18 just under the five-minute mark. Bischoff's 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in the half, allowed Ball State to take a 31-25 lead over Northern Illinois at intermission.
Finally in the third stanza, the Cardinals were able to outpace the Huskies 25-16 allowing Ball State to jump ahead of Northern Illinois, 56-41, as both squads headed into the final 10 minutes of action.
The offensive dominance continued by Ball State throughout the fourth quarter. A layup from Marie Kiefer increased BSU's lead to 20 (70-50) with 4:40 left in the ball game. All-in-all the Cardinals hot shooting hand made it difficult for NIU to come within in reach of BSU the remainder of the contest. Ball State also shot a staggering 67 percent (10-15) from the field in the final period.
The Ball State women's basketball team continues its two-game road swing when it travels to Ohio University Wednesday for a 7 pm ET tip-off in the Convocation Center.
Team Stats
BSU
NIU
FG%
.433
.365
3FG%
.200
.296
FT%
.857
.889
RB
45
35
TO
11
19
STL
11
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Basketball
/ Women's Basketball
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