Trio of 20-Point Scorers Power Women’s Basketball to Road Win at Kent State

Sunday, February 1

Kent, OH

12 pm

Ball State University

17-5,9-1MAC

101

Kent State University

9-12,4-6MAC

Ball St.

101

Kent St.

Trio of 20-Point Scorers Power Women’s Basketball to Road Win at Kent State

February 01, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Tessa Towers tallies career high 29 points while pulling down 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season

KENT, Ohio - In a high-display of resilience and offensive fire in front of a national televised audience on CBS Sports Network, the Ball State women's basketball team secured a dominant 101–91 victory on the road against Kent State this afternoon at the M.A.C Center.

Following a challenging stretch, the Cardinals demonstrated their ability to bounce back quickly, silencing the crowd with a relentless scoring attack and superior post presence that led to BSU improving its overall record to 17-5 and 9-1 in league play while Kent State dropped to 9-12 and 4-6 in the MAC.

The victory was anchored by the Cardinals' interior game that has become a hallmark of Ball State's recent success. The Cardinals consistently exploited matchups in the paint, creating second-chance opportunities and drawing fouls to keep the pressure on the Golden Flashes' defense throughout today's contest.

After a close first half that saw Ball State taking a slight 46-43 edge over Kent State at intermission, the Cardinals were able to pull away from the Golden Flashes in the third quarter.

Ball State outpaced Kent State 31-22 in the third frame which was led in part by Tessa Towers scoring 12 of her career-best 29 points. The scoring surge allowed the Cardinals to carry a 12-point (77-65) advantage over the Golden Flashes into the final 10 minutes of action.

The Cardinals capitalized on their league-leading passing game (18.4 assists per game) to find open shooters and maintain efficient scoring under pressure in the final frame while also limiting Kent State's second-chance scoring opportunities in the closing minutes. Ball State on court pose ultimately led to the Cardinals sealing their victory today.

Towers led the Cardinals' offense scoring a career best 29 points while also recording 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Bree Salenbien chipped in 24 points while Grace Kingery finished the day scoring 22 points. Rounding out the double figure scoring was Aniss Tagayi with 11.

For the game, the Cardinals outscored the Golden Flashes 50-26 in the paint while out-rebounding them, 41-30.

The Ball State women's basketball team returns to Worthen Arena Wednesday when it hosts Northern Illinois for its National Girls & Women's in