WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Ball State beats Ohio behind Woody's 23 points

Woody's 23 points leads team in scoring

Junior guard Brandy Woody pushes towards the paint for a layup attempt against Ohio University Jan. 26 at Worthen Arena. Woody was the lead scorer for the Cardinals in their victory over the Bobcats. DN PHOTO JONATHAN MIKSANEK
Junior guard Brandy Woody pushes towards the paint for a layup attempt against Ohio University Jan. 26 at Worthen Arena. Woody was the lead scorer for the Cardinals in their victory over the Bobcats. DN PHOTO JONATHAN MIKSANEK

Just three days after scoring 29 against Buffalo, a career high, Ball State junior Brandy Woody dominated the paint in the Cardinals 77-46 win over Ohio.

Woody led the team in scoring again, this time pouring in 23 points and adding 6 assists.

Much of her time was spend slashing through the paint towards the basket, where she had numerous layups and fouls which led to trips to the free throw line.

“You either shoot jump shots, or you just drive it past them.” Ball State coach Brady Sallee said. “My answer is always going to be to drive it at them.”

Woody’s style of play mirrored what Sallee game planned to do against Ohio.

Despite the size difference, Ball State continuously passed the ball into the low post or drove it straight to the rim, where they either had a high percentage shot, or were fouled.

“Repeatedly getting it to the rim and that either led to some free throws for us or some easy shots,” Sallee said. “Definitely a big part of that game plan today.”

Despite having the two highest scoring games of her career just days apart, Woody believes she isn’t playing differently then she has before.

With 14:53 left in the first half, Woody dove on the ground and beat two Ohio players to a loose ball, both of them being closer to the ball originally then her.

“Just depending on the flow of the game, I try to do what I can to kind of turn it back our way.” Woody said.

One of the veterans on the team, Woody knows that she’s needed to embrace a leadership role on the court.

“Depending on the flow of the game and what we need, I need to step up at some point…I am an upperclassman” Woody said.

On a team that has seen its players be inconsistent for much of the season, Sallee thinks that Woody has brought much needed stability to her position.

Scoring 52 points with 8 assists and just 5 turnovers in the Cardinals last two games has allowed her and the team to play with more confidence.

“There’s maybe a little bit of trust that might make things easier because I know what I’m going to get out of her.” Sallee said.

Many of Ball State’s players lack experience, and need someone to be an anchor for the team.

The Cardinals have two freshmen with Nathalie Fontaine and Taylor Miller, who are just more than halfway through their first collegiate seasons. Lyzz Smith, although a junior, has played in just a handful of games all season.

“I’ve played consistently for three years,” Woody said. “Me being in the situation I am now, I can kind of calm them down or pump them up, and kind of give them what they need.”

The start of the second half was rough for Ball State, with Woody committing two quick turnovers that led to fast break points for Ohio.

Sallee called a quick timeout but wasn’t angry with Woody when speaking to the team.

“I didn’t have to come unglued and rip her tail off, she knew…That’s the transformation the kid made right in front of our eyes,” Sallee said. “When you get players playing like that, you can do some special things.”

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