For the first 28 minutes of Saturday's game, the women's basketball team found itself locked in a battle with the top team in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State University led Bowling Green by four points at halftime and trailed by one with 12:35 remaining.
But the Falcons held the Cardinals scoreless for more than five minutes, busting the game open with a 15-0 run and coasting to a 72-60 victory.
"Bowling Green is a great team, but honestly we beat ourselves tonight," coach Tracy Roller said. "We just did not execute in the second half on either ends of the floor. And it was very frustrating to watch. You don't always get opportunities and we let one go I felt like tonight."
Bowling Green, the defending regular season and MAC Tournament champions, improved to 20-2 overall and 11-0 in the MAC. The Falcons are now 5-0 when trailing after halftime this season. They shot 59 percent in the second half, while holding Ball State to 29 percent.
"We let them go on that run and then we had to kind of work that whole second half to get back into the game and on top," said Erica Cotton, who led Ball State with 16 points. "I think we dug ourselves a hole and never got out of it."
Ball State (13-9, 6-5 MAC) started the game with inspired offensive and defensive play. The Cards opened up a 13-point lead on an Erica Cotton 3-pointer with less than eight minutes to play in the first half.
Ball State shot 45 percent in the first half and limited Bowling Green to 33 percent.
"Everything was pretty much clicking in the first half," Roller said. "That's why the second half looks so tragic."
Aside from the poor shooting in the second half, Ball State also struggled with turnovers. The Cardinals committed 10 of their 18 turnovers in the second half, aiding in the Falcons' win.
Raechelle Hampton scored 14 points coming off the bench. She said the Cards' game plan entering the game didn't pertain to the Falcons' record.
"We weren't concerned about being the team to break their record," Hampton said. "We were concerned about us - executing what we needed to beat them."
Ball State went 3-3 against MAC East Division opponents. They will play the five other West Division schools to finish the regular season.
"We're lacking some consistency right now," Roller said. "And that will come hopefully at the right time."
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