CLEVELAND - Julie DeMuth pulled down an offensive rebound off a missed jump shot by Porchia Green amid a sea of bodies with 18 seconds remaining. At the time, the Ball State University's women's basketball team led Western Michigan Universitya 54-53. Western Michigan's Molly Dwyer fouled DeMuth almost immediately after she got the ball and, for the second time in three games, DeMuth was on the line in the final seconds with the game on the line.
"It was low in the shot clock, so basically we go at the rim and go up there and grab it," DeMuth said. "Then I got fouled and did my best to hit the free throws, and I did."
She hit both free throws, capping her 25-point, 16-rebound game, allowing the Cardinals to score the 56-53 victory.
"That was real, real difficult for us, because we had to get that three after those free throws," Western Michigan coach Ron Stewart said.
It was the 11th double-double of the season and the 24th of DeMuth's career. Her 16 rebounds were three shy of her career and the Mid-American Conference single-game tournament record.
"I just try and rebound, period," DeMuth said. "Offensive or defensive, rebounds are big."
Her performance was more than just on the score sheet. Nearly every possession, the 5-foot-10 DeMuth was battling for rebounds against the Bronco's 6-foot-3 Lindsay Brown and 6-foot-1 Sara Vest.
"With Julie, she can score, obviously, and she can rebound," Ball State coach Tracy Roller said. "But with her, just having her out on the floor is very important for us. We need to have her out there because she is our toughness. And we kind of follow her."
DeMuth also had six of the Cardinals' 11 second-chance points, which all came off of offensive rebounds DeMuth brought down.
"She is very important when playing against a physical team, and I thought she did a great job [Tuesday]," Roller said.
With the Cardinals starting out slowly, DeMuth scored 13 of the first 17 points for Ball State and ended the first half with 19 points. In the second half, the defense focused on DeMuth, limiting her looks.
Stewart said his team focused on stopping Audrey McDonald and Tina Bolte beyond the arc, giving DeMuth looks early.
"Sara did an excellent job [defending DeMuth] once she got the feel," he said.
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