Wednesday's game for the Ball State University women's basketball team was highlighted by senior night, but it can also be known as the night the Cardinals won the Mid-American Conference West Division regular season title.
With a 65-54 victory against Northern Illinois University, Ball State (21-8, 13-2 MAC) clinched the MAC West title for the third consecutive year. Ball State will have a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
Sophomore forward Emily Maggert took attention away from the seniors on the floor, scoring a game-high 22 points off the bench. She also grabbed nine rebounds and recorded a block.
"We've been kind of harping on [Maggert] all year long about being physical," coach Kelly Packard said. "I felt like she was a little tentative early, and then she made a much quicker adjustment to that part of her game than she has in the past."
Maggert started all the previous games this season, but Packard gave senior guard/forward Dana Moorman the start.
Senior guard Kiley Jarrett said she'd have it no other way when talking about Moorman's start for the Cardinals.
"I would want nothing more for us three seniors to end our home stretch with the three of us starting," Jarrett said. "We came in together. We've been here all four years. Porchia [Green] and Dana are two of my best friends on the team."
Jarrett finished with four points - all from the free-throw line - and four assists. Moorman did not score in six minutes of action in her final game in Worthen Arena.
Senior guard Porchia Green finished her last game at home with a double-double. Green had 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Worthen Arena has been a very kind home for Ball State this season. The Cardinals finished 14-1 at home, which is the best home record in the program's 35-year history. The previous best was set during the 2001-02 season with former head coach Tracy Roller.
Roller coached the Cardinals from 2001 to last season, and was in attendance for the game Wednesday to watch her three former senior players in their final home game.
Packard said she was fine with the former Ball State women's basketball coach being in the crowd.
"She invested so much into this program," Packard said. "These seniors are really special to her."
Roller contacted Packard to ask if it would be OK for her to come to the game. She also talked to her former players about coming a few weeks ago.
"I found out about it a couple weeks ago," Jarrett said. "She had asked the three of us seniors if we minded if she was here and we were like, 'Are you joking? If you're not here, that's what we're going to be mad about.'"
Both teams came out in the first half slowly. In the first eight minutes, the Cardinals were 2-for-13 from the floor and 0-for-5 from behind the arc. With five minutes remaining before halftime, the Huskies (14-14, 9-6 MAC) led the Cardinals 16-15.
"Basketball is a game of runs," Jarrett said. "You're going to hit shots and then you're not going to hit shots. We just have to overcome those stretches where we're not scoring, and we have to get them down from five minutes to two minutes. Whatever team can do that will come out victorious."
With 3:35 remaining in the first half, junior guard Audrey McDonald drove to the bucket off a steal and got fouled while laying the ball in. She converted the 3-point play and then made two 3s in the next two minutes. She finished with 17 points and four rebounds.
After scoring 13 points in the first 13 minutes of play, the Cardinals finished the last seven minutes of the first half scoring 17 points.
In the early moments of the game, junior forward Danielle Gratton left the game because of shortness of breath. She later re-entered but again left, this time to the locker room. Gratton went to hospital with shortness of breath after halftime. In Ball State's first meeting this season with Northern Illinois, Gratton suffered a broken nose.
Packard said that Gratton has had breathing issues in the past, but it hasn't ailed her recently until Wednesday's game.
After leading by as many as 15 in the second half, Packard subbed out Green and Jarrett to a standing ovation from the crowd and team with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
The Cardinals will travel to Toledo, Ohio, for their final game of the regular season at 2 p.m. Saturday against the University of Toledo.
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