When Northern Illinois University guard Jessie Wilcox hit a well-contested 30-footer to force overtime Tuesday, Lisa McDonald could've easily flashed back to the last time her team played an extra period.
If she had, Ball State University's acting head coach would've remembered the Cardinals' game at Ohio University, in which they allowed the first nine points before suffering a six-point loss. Instead, McDonald leaned on her team's four-game winning streak to remain confident in her squad.
That enthusiasm was rewarded with a 76-70 victory on Senior Night, cementing Ball State's second Mid-American Conference West Division title in as many years. The Cardinals split the divisional championship with Eastern Michigan University, which defeated Central Michigan University 73-65 Tuesday.
"It was easy," McDonald said of her team's rally in overtime. "If I know anything about this team, it's that they're going to respond when the chips are down. The word we talked about all day is opportunity, and here we had this opportunity in overtime after we messed up in overtime against Ohio. This was our opportunity to get it right. When I went into that huddle, the confidence was sky high, even though Wilcox had just made that shot. When the chips are down, I can look into their eyes and know we have winners on this team so we'll find a way to win."
After trading blows in the first couple possessions of overtime, Ball State scored seven unanswered points to seize a 72-65 lead with 44 seconds to play.
After missing the back end of a one-and-one that would have effectively won the game in regulation, senior Lisa Rusche responded with six points, two rebounds and a blocked shot in the final five minutes. Despite her team's 15 points in the extra session, Rusche said, it was Ball State's defense - which held Northern Illinois to three overtime field goals - that set the tone.
"I think after they hit that 3-point shot we were kind of down," Rusche said. "I knew we needed to bring energy, and the only way to pick it up is with defense. I think everybody just fed off of that, and we picked ourselves back up."
With both seniors sitting on the bench, Ball State used a 17-4 run to open its largest lead of the game at 42-31 with 12:36 remaining in the second half. However, the Huskies used five of their 11 3-point field goals to claw back to a two-point deficit with just less than four minutes left.
"A weakness of ours has been holding leads," McDonald said. "We've been getting big leads and letting teams back in it, and we've addressed that all week. It can become a dagger in the heart when you make a run to stretch your lead and then they hit threes consecutively. I think it goes back to the way this team responds because they don't let it get them down too much."
The Cardinals relied on their own 3-point specialist to seal the deal. Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald hit all four of her 3-pointers in the last 25 minutes of play, making it he fourth consecutive game she's connected on at least four 3-point attempts.
In the process, the sophomore tied Johna Goff's single-season 3-point record with 78.
"What an honor," McDonald said. "I mean, Johna Goff had a great performance [that season]. She's a great shooter, and to tie her [record] is quite an honor. And it's fun to do."
Ball State's next game will be played Tuesday at Cleveland in Quicken Loans Arena, the site of the 2008 MAC Tournament. Tuesday's win clinched the Cardinals' second consecutive No. 1 seed in the West, which provides a first-round bye. They are slated to play the winner of the University at Buffalo and the University of Toledo game.
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