With four minutes to play in Saturday evening's contest at Buffalo University, the Bulls were within five points of Ball State University, trailing 47-42.
The situation was similar to the Cardinals (17-3, 8-1 Mid-American Conference) last game, when Ohio University put the game away with a 14-2 run. However, this time it was Ball State who put the game away with an 11-2 run that gave the Cardinals a 59-44 victory.
The win was Ball State's 17th, matching last year's total.
Ball State coach Tracy Roller said it was good to see her team do what it is accustomed to doing.
"Our second halves and runs at the end of the game have been our bread-and-butter this year," Roller said. "Being able to take a team's run, and responding with a run of our own, that's been Ball State basketball this season. It was nice to see that return to us."
Ball State connected on 9-of-10 foul shots down the stretch to help put the game away.
Senior point guard Kelsey Corbin, who had a game-high 14 points, said the team's ability to knock down its free throws stemmed from working on it in practice.
"That's just confidence and being clutch," Corbin said. "That's something we lacked a lot on the Ohio game. We really worked on that in practice a lot, and it makes you feel good to see that hard work carry over into the game."
In the first half, Ball State shot 31 percent and held a 19-14 lead at intermission. However, the Cardinals' defense, which allowed its lowest first-half opponent output this season, helped keep Ball State in the game.
The Bulls (6-15, 1-8 MAC) shot 34 percent from the field, and their 44 points totaled the lowest against Ball State in two years. Roller said the Cardinals' guards put good pressure on Buffalo's offense.
"We had great ball pressure from Kelsey Corbin and Porchia Green and Kiley Jarrett," Roller said. "They had a pretty good post player, but she couldn't get any touches because our ball pressure was so great. The defense kept us in the game, especially when our offense was struggling to make shots in the first half."
Green recorded her fourth double-double of the year for Ball State, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds. Lisa Rusche added 10 points and nine rebounds, and Julie DeMuth scored 12 points for Ball State.
Ball State will travel to Bowling Green State University on Wednesday. The Falcons are undefeated in the MAC and ranked 16th in the country.
Roller said the team is anticipating the matchup.
"I think we know the reality of the situation," Roller said. "Though they're a good team, we have a very good chance of competing with them when we're at our best. Although they're 16th in the country, they're really only the next game keeping us from becoming West division champs. We have to go in there with that mentality."
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