Facing a talented Hoosier Lady Stars team, with two former Ball State players, the women's basketball team lost a close game 76-75 on Monday night.
"They had it all," head coach Tracy Roller said about the Stars. "They really could hurt you on a lot of angles."
With 6.1 seconds remaining the Star's Angie Nelp gave her team a 76-75, and junior Dana Collins last second effort came up short. Nelp's basket came after nearly three minutes of scoreless play by both teams.
Former Cardinal Johna Goff, Ball State's career leader in three-pointer's made, was four-for-four from behind the arch before going cold midway through the second half. She was still able to help the Stars get the win though, finishing with 20 points to lead all players.
"Johna played really well tonight and I kind of expected that out of her," Roller said.
Another senior from last year, Jessica Reiter was also on the team, but played only five minutes. She finished with two points and one rebound.
Junior Raechelle Hampton sparked the Cardinals in the first half, senior Kate Endress got them going in the second and freshman Julie DeMuth consistently poured in points, but the defense was were the Cardinals fell short. All three finished in double-figures. Endress led the team with 19, while Hampton and DeMuth added 17 and 15, respectively.
"Where we lost tonight was on the defensive end," Endress said. "There were definitely spurts tonight where our defense was not in existence and we've got to fix that."
Ball State started the game slow, missing four of its first five attempts, while the Stars hit four of their first five. Ball State's 11 attempts from behind the arch early in the first half, three of which were good, contributed to the slow start offensively.
The Stars though, had plenty of offense and jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and also held a 22-13 advantage later on.
Midway through the first half, Ball State not only found its offense, but also picked it up on defense, slowly chipping away the Stars' lead.
There was a 15-minute delay when a cheerleader went down while performing during a media timeout with 7:59 remaining in the first half. After an ambulance was called to have her taken off in a stretcher, the teams were given five minutes to warm back up.
After the stoppage, Hampton led the Cardinals on a 9-2 run in which she scored all nine points. Ball State's increased offense and stronger defense gave them a 43-30 halftime lead.
"I didn't start off like I wanted to," Hampton said. "After the cheerleader got hurt, I was able to regroup and finish a lot of my shots."
The second half remained close with neither team getting an advantage larger then eight. Ball State took a five-point advantage with 10:37 when Collins made a pass through defenders to junior Krista Stewart who converted a layup.
The Cardinals later got an eight-point advantage with 5:11 remaining, but would not score again.
"I'm hoping this was a coaching mistake," Roller said, citing the team practiced three hours yesterday. "I'm hoping we're just tired."
Roller said the team doesn't have a ton to work on defensively, mostly just on-the-ball defense, before they open the season this weekend.
Ball State has two practices left this week before they leave for the Seton Hall Tournament where they will face Wagner on Friday and the winner of LaSalle and Seton Hall on Saturday.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
