Head coach Tracy Roller was shocked after defeating Northern Illinois 64-48 Wednesday night.
With the most potent offense in the Mid-American Conference, the Cardinals have relied on their scoring ability to win games. But after holding the Huskies to the lowest point total of season for the Cardinals, Roller could only smile.
"I never thought I would say that, defensively, that was the best game we've ever played," head coach Tracy Roller said. "Right from the tip-off we came out aggressively and played great ball-pressure defense and did a lot of great things."
With tight man defense from sophomore guard Johna Goff and senior Shala Crook, the Cardinals (19-6 overall, 11-3 MAC) forced Northern's guards into early turnovers as the Cardinals jumped out to a 11-5 lead.
"(Ball State) did a lot of things which made us lose our composure," Northern Illinois head coach Carol Hammerle said. "Our shooting percentage was really indicative of how much they bothered us. They really came to play."
Sophomore Jessica Reiter was the main defensive force inside for a team Roller was concerned about inside the paint. Reiter led the game with a season-high six blocks, helping to hold Northern's leading scoring - Jennifer Youngblood - to 13 points.
"A lot of the time I was just in the right place at the right time," Reiter said. "It just happened."
Even as tight as the defense was, it was Goff's offense that carried the Cards. Hitting three-straight 3-pointers, Goff kept the team in the game when everyone else could not hit a shot.
"They are a team that didn't defend off the screens very well," Goff said. "Shala Crook did a good job getting me the ball, and so did everybody else. I just threw it up like I always do."
But it was Goff's 3-pointer at the buzzer with Northern's Lindsay Secrest in her face that broke the Huskies' back going into halftime. Hammerle said the Huskies lost all momentum going into the second half.
"She came flying at me," Goff said. "I was falling away, so I just kind of threw it at the basket. It's a great feeling to know when a shot is going to go in."
Nonetheless, the Huskies never gave up as they continually fought for rebounds thought the Cardinals' aggressive defense.
It was Northern's relentless attack on the offensive end that nearly caught the Cardinals as the Huskies pulled down 29 offensive rebounds, though many of them were in the final minutes of the game.
"We worked really hard to get the boards," Hammerle said. "It was what we did with those boards that hurt us. Our second-chance opportunities and what we scored were not even to the number (of rebounds)."
With a team many critics have said lacks toughness to win the MAC Championships, Roller said she feels the win is taking the team in the direction they want - the MAC title.
"It's a good start," Roller said. "The way practices went leading up to the game is the reason we're talking about a win. (The team) was aggressive and really knew what it wanted."
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