YPSILANTI, Mich. -- When Eastern Michigan's Marion Crandall left the game with 40 seconds remaining, the crowd had eight huge reasons to give her a standing ovation. The senior hit a school record eight 3-pointers to lead the Eagles past the Ball State women's basketball team 84-74.-á
"She stepped up huge tonight," BSU junior Kate Endress said about Crandall, who was the only player honored on senior night. "Not only did she hit eight 3-pointers, they were big threes, she stepped up right when they needed it, and that's what seniors do."
"I think their team did a great job of looking for her when she was open," head coach Tracy Roller said. "That's what I would hope underclassmen kids would do when it's senior night."
Crandall started a 3-point-fest by the Eagles that got them out to a 12-4 lead in which all their points came from behind the arch. The Cards would keep the Eagles lead in single digits most of the first half, allowing Eastern to get a double-digit lead only four times before they were able to chip it right back down to single digits.
The Cardinals failed to get closer because they were unable to get an advantage on the boards. At one point with less than 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Cards had just five rebounds to the Eagles' 15. They were outrebounded in the game 52-31, giving up a total of 20 offensive boards to the Eagles.
"It kills you in possessions where you play great defense, and they get an offensive board," Roller said. "Twenty offensive boards, that just kills you. They're going to execute, and they're going to hit shots on 20 offensive boards; that's just the way it is."
Endress led Ball State in the first half, scoring 12 points and pulling down four boards, enabling them to go into the break down only 35-29. Crandall had only two 3-pointers at the half but opened the second with another, once again sparking a 6-0 start to the half for the Eagles.
The quick start by the Eagles in the second gave them a double-digit lead they would hold until the 8:03 mark. With 10:02 remaining and Eastern up 62-48, the Cards went on a 9-0 run, cutting the lead to five with 6:38 remaining. Crandall stopped the run with one of her 3-pointers, but senior Johna Goff answered with one of her own, getting within five again.-á
After Nikki Knapp's old-fashioned three-point play, Crandall hit a 3-pointer to get the Eagles lead back to double digits. The Cardinals fought back once again, getting it down to seven, but Crandall hit her eighth three with 1:51 remaining, giving them the 74-64 advantage and all but sealing the Eagles 84-74 victory.
Endress finished with a game-high 26 points and tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Senior Jessica Reiter also had seven boards to go along with her nine points. Goff was the only other Cardinal in double figures with 13, and she also had a team-best six assists.
Eastern finished with five players in double figures, with Knapp and junior Ryan Coleman getting double-doubles. Knapp finished with 11 rebounds and 14 points, while Coleman finished with 15 points and 10 boards.
The 10-point loss comes after a game in which the Cards' were outscored 52-14 in the first half against Kent State and ended up losing 99-64.
"The team that played tonight was a different team then the one that played last weekend, and I'm actually encouraged," Roller said. "I mean, we played with intensity for 40 minutes, and defensively I thought played really well, and we executed on offense."
The loss puts the Cardinals at 12-12 overall and 7-6 in the Mid-American Conference, while Eastern clinched at least a share of the MAC West title after moving to 11-3 in conference play.
"I think we are headed in the right direction," Endress said. "We had a lot more effort then we've had the past couple of weeks. I think people are starting to get on the same page, and we got to just clear up a couple of the little things; it was just a couple plays tonight that really made the difference."
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