Women’s Basketball Scrapes Out Road Win at Central Michigan

Wednesday, January 28

Mount Pleasant, MI

6:30 pm

Ball State University

16-5,8-1MAC

Central Michigan University

12-7,6-3MAC

Ball St.

Central Mich.

Women’s Basketball Scrapes Out Road Win at Central Michigan

January 28, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Five Cardinals score in double figures led by Karsyn Norman with 17 points

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Ball State women's basketball team defeated Central Michigan 76-70 in a closely contested midweek Mid-American Conference matchup Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena.

The Cardinals improved their season record to 16-5 (8-1 MAC), while the Chippewas fell to 12-7 (6-3 MAC). Ball State led at the end of each quarter tonight despite both teams fighting hard in a physical battle which saw three Cardinals and four Chippewas foul out of the contest in the final frame.

The opening quarter was characterized by scrappy defense from both sides, ending in a low-scoring tie of 10-10 after the first five minutes and finishing with Ball State up 13-12 after the first quarter.

Ball State created more shot opportunities due to the forced turnovers, shooting a better percentage from the field in the first half. The Cardinals strong interior play and ability to get second-chance points from both Tessa Towers and Bree Salenbien allowed Ball State to maintain a slight 31-20 edge over Central Michigan at intermission.

After the break, Grace Kingery came to the rescue scoring nine points after shooting 2-of-3 from the 3-point line and a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe which helped the Cardinals stay atop of the Chippewas at the end of the third quarter, 61-55.

In the final frame, Ball State's defense and efficiency at the charity stripe proved to be the deciding factor as the Cardinals survived a late push by the Chippewas after BSU shot 9-of-16 from the free throw line to seal tonight's six-point victory.

The Cardinals had five players reach double figures tonight which was led by Karsyn Norman with 17 points. Behind Norman was Towers who finished the night with 15 points. Kingery, Salenbien and Aniss Tagayi all chipped in 12 points apiece. Salenbien pulled down 12 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.

The Ball State women's basketball team continues its two-game road swing when it plays at Kent State on Sunday. Tipoff is set for noon and will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.