One record Akron did not want to be associated with was broken Tuesday night. As a part of Ball State's 99-55 victory, the Zips became the victims of the worst defeat by a Ball State squad in Mid-American Conference history.
The 44-point win overtakes the previous record of a 34-point win over Eastern Michigan last year.
And the Cardinals (13-4 overall, 5-1 MAC) did what head coach Tracy Roller had been focusing on in practice - put the game away early. The Zips (1-17, 0-7) could do little to stop the Cardinals.
Ball State used quick outlet passes from guards Shala Crook and Johna Goff to push the ball up court, wearing down the slower Akron team. The Cards out-scored the Zips 35-8 in a 12-minute span that left Akron shooting desperate shots, trying to keep up with the fast-paced Cardinals.
"We played our basketball game," Roller said. "We knew coming in that this was a game to get better for the MAC tournament and that's really what we did."
Bowie led all scorers with 23 points, and at times looked as if she were unstoppable. But she said it was just all part of the game plan.
"I just tried to run the floor so our guards could keep it going. Even though I was playing the three spot, I tried to get out ahead of everybody and get in the middle instead of getting it in the wings."
But in the end, the Cardinals' depth was the deciding factor, as every Cardinal - besides senior walk-on Susie Meshberger - played more than 16 minutes and scored. Six Cardinals scored in double figures as Roller used a steady substitution rate to keep players active on the floor.
"We are so deep and so hard to guard, and when Julie (Just) comes in and gives us those kind of minutes...it's a plus for us."
In the first half, the team struggled with fouls, committing 10 in the first 20 minutes.
"Some of the time we were playing aggressively, and we were just getting fouls," Roller said. "But a lot of the time we were just getting beat off the dribble."
But playing a team that is near the bottom of the conference in almost every statistical category does little to help prepare the Cardinals for tougher teams such as Toledo and Miami, but it does boosts confidence, Roller said.
"Everybody really played well today, coming in and playing ," she said. "It is a really good stepping stone for the rest of the MAC season."
The Cardinals have struggled to put together what Roller calls "a complete 40-minute game." But she still is not satisfied with the dominant performance over the Zips.
"It was close," Roller said. "I don't know, I'm kind of hard on (the players), so I guess I'll say it was."
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