WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Grossnickle's clutch play leads to win

Just mere seconds after the opening tip-off, Ball State made its presence felt as sophomore forward Jazmin Hitchens hit a straight-on three to give Ball State an early lead. Two minutes later, Hitchens again made Northern Illinois pay for by hitting another three-pointer from the same spot. Hitchens finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

Sophomore Katie Murphy struggled offensively with just two points, but was a force defensively with three steals and a block at the halfway mark.

At halftime, Ball State led 30- 18, but lost control of its lead and fell to a 41-39 deficit with four minutes remaining in the game. Thanks to a late rally led by senior captain Suzanne Grossnickle, the Cardinals finished the game on a 9-4 run.

With a little over three minutes left, senior captain Suzanne Grossnickle forced her way inside, drew the foul, and downed the bucket for the and-one opportunity. She made the free throw to give her team a 47-43 lead. Her play helped energize the rest of the team.

"One person needs to step up with energy, and this game I was just the one and everyone followed … When I went to the free-throw line, I just put everything out of my head and focused on me and the rim and it just went in," Grossnickle said.

"[Grossnickle] was poised. And my young group can sometimes start to unravel, so having her on the floor was huge," coach Kelly Packard said. "She just understands that we're doing some things strategically, some certain sets, she always knows what's going on. This is a great night for her."

After Grossnickle's big play, sophomore Brandy Woody hit three-of-four late free throws to seal the game at 50.

With Wednesday's win, the Cardinals improve to 7-9 overall, 2-1 in conference play.

"We're just going to keep clawing at it, we're getting better," Packard said. "We're winning, we're 2-1 in the MAC, so that's all we gotta do. We have to keep clawing at it. … We're not gonna get 20-point wins in this conference."

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