The Ball State women's basketball team got their first win ofthe season against IPFW on Tuesday night in Memorial Coliseum inFort Wayne, Ind.
After a 2-2 tie was broke in the early minutes, the Cardinalswould not look back, leading the rest of the way to the final 93-75win.
Behind senior Johna Goff's 16 points and the team shooting 51percent from the floor in the first half, the Cardinals took a54-38 lead into the break. IPFW did get the margin down to one with8:56 left in the first half, but a 9-0 run, in which Goff scoredseven, put the Cardinals back on pace. A few minutes later theCardinals went on an 8-0 run putting them up 17. In the second halfthe Cardinals kept up their pace and led by 24 at one point.
Goff finished with 21 points and eight assists, including threetreys and a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line.
"This weekend really hit home for me what my job on this teamreally is and I learned that I don't have to come out and try andscore 20 points a game, I got people like Kate Endress and JessicaReiter that are going to pick up the slack, I just got to be aleader," Goff said. "I just came out and tried to be emotional andget this team going."
"Johna set the tone tonight, I definitely feel that we go asJohna goes," head coach Tracy Roller said. "She was unselfish asheck tonight and still got 21 points."
Rebounding has been a key for the team so far this year and theydominated the boards, out rebounding IPFW 51-35. Senior JessicaReiter led the team in rebounds with 15, making it her thirdstraight game in which she had double figure rebounding.
The game was also a coming out for freshman Tina Bolte andKelsey Corbin. For Corbin who played high school ball at Northrop,the game was a homecoming and an impressive one with her 10-pointperformance off of 16 minutes. Bolte played 15 minutes and scoredeight points.
"We all know what Kelsey and Tina can do, we see them everydayat practice," Roller said. "I guess probably as a fan standpoint,it definitely was their coming out."
All 11 players for the Cardinals saw double figure minutes withthree scoring in double figures and four others with eight points.Kate Endress was the other scorer in double figures with 12 andRaechelle Hampton, Julie Just, and Leah Boehme all scoredeight.
"I think our bench play tonight, definitely won the game forus," Roller said.
The team will use this win as they travel to the East CarolinaThanksgiving Tournament this weekend to face EasternWashington.
"It's no fun going into Thanksgiving 0-3 record," Roller said."Just from a team standpoint we needed a win. We know this weekendwas a disappointment for us, and we try to let it go, but nobodylikes to lose. I'm a competitor just like everybody else and weneeded to come up here and we needed to set the tone and needed toget the win."
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