Ball State University women's basketball coach Kelly Packard has stressed rebounding to her team a lot lately.
In a 77-70 win against Kent State University in Worthen Arena Wednesday, her team responded.
Ball State (16-8, 8-2 Mid-American Conference) outrebounded Kent State 45-25 and had 17 offensive rebounds, contributing to 20 second-chance points.
Packard said the win is always something they strive for, but "seeing what they are capable of doing on the glass" was a big step for the Cardinals.
"Just really sunk home with me that if we're going to get where we want to go, which is to win the West Division and win the MAC tournament, we've got to address that glaring issue," Packard said. "I really am proud of obviously the way they took that to heart with a rebounding margin of 20."
Ball State junior forward Danielle Gratton pulled down 12 of the Cardinals' 45 boards and added 14 points, two assists, a block and a steal.
Seven of Gratton's 12 rebounds were on offense.
Porchia Green also had double-digit rebounds for the Cardinals. The senior guard had 10 rebounds, five being offensive.
Green also led Ball State with six assists and scored seven points.
"Anytime you get an offensive board for your team, the crowd responds, we get another possession," Packard said. "Often times because the team is scrambling, we'll find a 3-point shooter creeping out on the perimeter, and that's super rewarding after an offensive rebound."
Ball State junior guard Audrey McDonald led the Cardinals in scoring with 22 points, 14 coming in the first half. McDonald was 6-of-12 from behind the arc and had four rebounds and an assist in 38 minutes of play.
Sophomore forward Emily Maggert dropped in 18 more points for Ball State. She had seven rebounds and two steals. Maggert was 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Kent State sophomore forward Chenel Harris led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the field.
Sophomore guard Jamilah Humes scored 19 for the Golden Flashes (16-6, 5-5 MAC) and led the team in rebounding with six and assists with five.
Ball State held Kent State's leading scorer Anna Kowalska to six points. The 6-foot-4 senior center averaged 17.8 points per game coming into Wednesday but was held scoreless in the first half.
The Golden Flashes and the Cardinals both shot above 41 percent from the field for the game.
Both teams shot even higher from behind the arc. Ball State shot 45.5 percent from the 3-point line and Kent State shot 45 percent.
With this win, Ball State remains in first place in the MAC West Division.
Another Ball State Cardinal also shot well from deep, but he (yes he) was not playing for coach Packard.
Freshman Lee Spurgin made a half-court shot to win an iPod Touch during a break after on-court master of ceremonies Peyton Stovall gave Spurgin a second chance at the shot.
"Me and my buddy really went to the game to attempt that shot," Spurgin said. "I had faith. I felt pretty confident after I let it go. The first one I shot had the right distance, I just had to straighten it up a bit."
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