Despite being down by double digits, the Ball State University women's basketball team rallied back to defeat the University of Akron 61-55 on Saturday at Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.
The Cardinals (12-7, 5-1 MAC) trailed by as many as 14 points in the early stages of the second half before coming back, using 3-pointers to their advantage.
After hitting 2-8 3-pointers in the first half, Ball State made 7-9 in the second half, with four coming from junior guard Audrey McDonald.
In the first period, the Zips (7-12, 2-4 MAC) shot 50 percent from the field. Freshman center Kyle Baumgartner was 5-5 from the field for Akron in the first half and led all scorers with 16 in the game.
McDonald and sophomore forward Emily Gratton were both held scoreless going into halftime. Both average more than 11 points per game.
The Cardinals turned up their scoring in the second half, outscoring the Zips by 20 points in the second half. Gratton and McDonald combined for 20 points in the second half.
Senior guard Kiley Jarrett led Ball State with 15 points and five assists. Freshman forward Jade Barber contributed with eight points and had three blocks, with one block causing a shot clock violation late in the second half to hold the lead.
Ball State's defensive changes stifled the Akron's offense in the second half. After switching to a zone defense in the second half, the Cardinals held the Zips to 25.8 percent shooting from the field.
Senior guard Porchia Green, who pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, had two steals, including one with 20 seconds left in the game to solidify the win.
Ball State also hit all six of their second half free throws, shooting more than 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Up next for the Cardinals is a non-conference game against the University of North Dakota at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Worthen Arena.
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