When Audrey McDonald left the court Saturday, she knew she'd had a big game.
She didn't realize, however, that her sharp shooting did more than propel the Cardinals to a 74-69 win against Western Michigan University.
Making nine of her 12 3-point attempts, McDonald broke the Ball State University women's basketball team's record for 3-pointers in a game and tied the Mid-American Conference mark.
"I had no clue," the sophomore guard said, saying she didn't even know how many shots she'd made.
McDonald led Ball State with a career-high 27 points, 16 more than the Cardinals' second-leading scorer on the game, junior guard Kiley Jarrett.
During practices leading up to the game, Ball State's coaching staff worked to encourage McDonald not to shy away from taking open shots.
"As great of a shooter as she is, we have to tell her, 'Audrey, you have to shoot the ball,'" acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. "'You have to shoot the ball with confidence.' This week in practice, we have gotten on her that if she's open she just needs to shoot it. ... When she shoots with confidence, we're going to play great basketball."
The guard's hot hand also allowed Ball State to pierce the Broncos' zone defense, a defensive scheme that has been effective against the Cardinals numerous times this season.
"When we face a zone defense, [Audrey McDonald] is licking her chops," Lisa McDonald said.
Audrey McDonald opened the game with two 3-pointers, and Ball State jumped to a 12-1 lead five minutes into the first half. However, a series of Western Michigan runs kept Ball State from sealing the victory until the final minute.
Although the Cardinals led by as much as 16 in the second half, missed free throw opportunities allowed Western Michigan to pull within three points with 26 seconds left in the game. Ball State finished 10-of-16 from the charity stripe, compared to an 18-of-22 clip for Western Michigan.
Junior guard Kiley Jarrett blamed her team's free throw woes on fatigue.
"We just had to focus and get our legs under us," she said.
Despite the Cardinals' struggles at the free-throw line, they were able to convert down the stretch. After missing on the front end of a one-and-one in the final minute, Jarrett nailed four straight in the game's final 30 seconds to secure a Cardinal victory.
"We've definitely picked up our energy, and we're playing as a team," Jarrett said.
The Cardinals' victory moves the team within a game from clinching at least a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division title and securing the No. 1 seed in the MAC tournament, which begins Sunday in Cleveland.
Prior to the game, the Cardinals and Broncos were in a three-way tie with Eastern Michigan University for the division lead. Now, Ball State needs to defeat Northern Illinois 7 p.m. Wednesday at home to secure the top spot.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
