What head coach Tracy Roller called a "dream season" ended Saturday as the women's basketball team could not overcome the defensive prowess of the Valparaiso Crusaders in a 77-69 loss.
From the beginning of the game, the Crusaders (26-6) controlled the tempo of the game, forcing the Cardinals (24-8) to play a half-court offense, thus not allowing them to utilize its fast-break potential off steals and rebounds.
"It was really a slow start both ways," Valpo head coach Keith Freedman said. "I was tickled to death when in the first 10 minutes we were on track for a 40-point game."
Ball State was able to come out after halftime and force a few turnovers that resulted in quick baskets as the team made up the seven-point halftime deficit within the first three minutes of the second half. But a quick timeout by Valpo ended the Cardinals run and answered it with a 23-6 run for a lead it would never surrender.
Valpo's offense continually pounded the ball inside with strong post play while limiting the Cardinals offensive threats by denying passes to the post, forcing the Cardinals to rely more on the three-point shot
"They tried to front us the whole game," sophomore Jessica Reiter said. "Getting position in the post was really hard. They were constantly battling, pushing back and shoving. It was real physical."
The Cardinals hit only one of their first 17 shots from behind the three-point line. Valpo's best post player, 6-foot-5-inch center Marlous Mieuwveen, kept the Cardinal post players on the perimeter and out of the paint. However, Mieuwveen got into early foul trouble and had to sit out most of the game.
"She was a big girl," junior Jessica Reiter said of Mieuwveen. "She was only on me once, and she got a foul called for holding, so it wasn't that bad."
Down 17 with less than six minutes remaining, the Cardinals finally started to hit shots as senior Shala Crook continually stole the ball from the inexperienced Valparaiso guards, leading to fastbreak points and easy baskets.
"From the beginning we wanted to pressure the ball a lot," Crook said. "We knew their guards weren't very tough handling pressure, and in an environment like this, you have to let the girls play."
Crook ended the game with a Ball State and Worthen Arena record 10 steals. She led the Cards with 22 points.
Ball State forced the Crusaders into 22 turnovers with its full-court press leading to a season-high 19 steals.
"We knew coming in that we were going to have to break their press," Valpo forward Jeanette Gray said. "We had trouble with it at times, but when it came down to it, we were strong enough to get the ball up the court."
But the smaller, quicker Ball State lineup failed to take advantage of its speed in the first half, and the deficit was too much for the team to overcome.
"With (Tamara) Bowie in foul trouble in the first half, that was a lot of our quickness," Roller said. "We just really did not play our game in the first half. We just took ourselves out of the game. Ball State just got beat by a better team tonight."
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