It was a tale of two halves again at Worthen Arena as the Ball State women's basketball team defeated Wright State University 65-61.
The Cardinals (4-3), led by senior guard Porchia Green's 22 points, held a convincing 36-23 lead against the Raiders (3-5) at the end of the first half.
At intermission, Green made all six of her shots from the floor, draining two 3-pointers. She was almost 11 points above her season average.
Freshman forward Suzanne Grossnickle also had six points, three rebounds and two blocks in the first half.
The Cardinals' defense was also present in the first half. Ball State held Wright State to 0-for-8 from the 3-point line in the first half and only 37 percent from the field, both season lows for Raiders.
Green said that the team constantly hears about its difference in play from first half to second.
"We hear this over and over again, our second halves are a little slow," Green said.
Wright State outscored the Cardinals 38 to 29 in the second half. The Raiders held the Cardinals scoreless for more than five minutes to take their first lead, until Green hit a runner with 10:45 remaining.
One Cardinal who didn't have a slow start to the second half was junior guard Audrey McDonald. McDonald scored 15 points, almost four points above her average. Nine of her second half points came from behind the arc, her last being one of coach Kelly Packard's highlights of the game.
"Audrey nailed a shot in a play that we worked on in the last two days," Packard said. "In big games like that where it's tight at the end, strategy is everything."
Packard said McDonald's three free throws in the last 23 seconds was another key to the Cardinals' fourth victory.
All four of Ball State's victories have come at Worthen Arena this season.
It wasn't just a big game for McDonald, but a big day as well, as she celebrated her 21st birthday. She said she hadn't received her gifts from her family yet, but got a nice present from Green.
"Twenty-two points, that's enough," McDonald said.
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