Ball State's offense looked sluggish and out-of-sync in the first half on Wednesday. The Cardinals committed 13 turnovers and faced a 12-point deficit to visiting Toledo.
But the second half proved to completely different. The Cards exploded for 42 points, and their stifling defense helped lift them to a 64-49 win.
"In the first half we had some uncharacteristic shots and execution," coach Tracy Roller said. "I felt like after our halftime discussion, we had a much better second half."
Ball State (14-9, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) shot 59 percent in the second half, while holding the Rockets to 27 percent. The Cards forced Toledo into 11 turnovers after halftime and held the Rockets' leading scorer Danielle Bishop to four points.
"Tonight was huge," said Becca Bajorek, who scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. "It sends a message that we're not going to back down after two losses."
Kelsey Corbin added 16 points for the Cards on 6-of-7 shooting. She also had a team-high five assists and four rebounds.
Corbin ended the first half with buzzer-beating basket. She raced down the court into the paint with just a few seconds remaining. Corbin then backed out to the right wing near the 3-point line. With her back to the basket, she twisted her body in midair and her heave somehow found the bottom of the basket.
"I'd like to say that I knew it was going in, but that was like the biggest piece-of-crap shot ever," Corbin said. "It helps to go into the locker room with a shot at the end of the buzzer, but either way we didn't play real well in the first half."
Ball State's top two leading scorers on the season, Julie DeMuth and Tina Bolte, didn't start the game. Porchia Green and Raechelle Hampton started instead, combining to score nine points and grab 11 rebounds.
Roller said the change in the lineup was a from giving rest to injuries and the team's two-game losing streak.
"Our first drill to start practice and our last drill of practice, the current starters will go against the non-starters and the coaching staff will decide based on those two segments who will [start]," Roller said. "We had lost two in a row and I didn't feel like we were competing."
DeMuth played 25 minutes and recorded her ninth double-double of the season. She scored all 10 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds.
Bolte scored four points in 18 minutes.
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