CLEVELAND, OHIO -- There's a reason Kent State's Lindsay Shearer was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year.
Shearer scored 26 points to lead the Golden Flashes as they defeated Ball State 69-52 in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.
If you can think of a way to score points, Shearer did it. She was 8-16 from the field, including 2-3 from three-point land. She also connected on 8-10 from the free-throw line.
"Lindsay's a great player obviously," said Ball State's Julie DeMuth, who scored 11 points. "She's going to get points, she's a great player. We were just trying to box her out and not give her second chance points."
The Cardinals struggled mightily from the field, shooting 31 percent for the game, and 24 percent in the first half. Ball State did not score until 5:30 has passed in the game, with Rachelle Hampton scoring on a free-throw. The first basket wasn't scored until Tina Bolte knocked down a three-pointer with seven minutes gone in the first half.
It didn't get much better from there, as Kent State built a 29-12 lead with five minutes to go in the first half.
"We had some great looks and our offense really ran well," coach Tracy Roller said. "We got into the post and had great opportunities but there was just a lid on the basket for some reason. When you play Kent State you have to be your best. Unfortunately, we put ourselves in a pretty deep hole in the first half."
When the Ball State defense did collapse down on Shearer in the post, Sarah Burgess was right there to get Kent State out of trouble. Burgess hit four three-pointers, all in the first half, as the Golden Flashes built their lead.
There was a little spark left for Ball State though. A Tina Bolte three-pointer as time expired in the first half cut Kent State's lead to 15. Bolte's play spring-boarded a second-half start where the Cardinals went on a 13-5 run to make the score 42-35.
"They were holding and did everything they could," said Bolte, who led Ball State with 19 points. "They are a great defensive team. I had to look really hard for any kind of look."
That was the high point for the Cardinals as they would only score three field goals in the final 15 minutes of the game. Kent State's reputation for defense held true in this game. In the regular season, they led the league in forced turnovers (22) and steals (11) per game. Against Ball State, they forced 19 turnovers and recorded 14 steals.
"We got to take good care of the ball," Roller said. "It seemed like when we really needed a push, we'd turn the ball over. Seasoned teams like Kent State know when to make big plays."
The Cardinals finished with a 17-12 record.
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