Nathalie Fontaine had another big game for Ball State. She scored 16 points and added 12 rebounds in a second half outburst to help beat Eastern Michigan 56-34.
But this game may have meant more to her than most.
For the first time all season, Fontaine’s mother was in attendance at the game to watch her daughter play. Ball State coach Brady Sallee said having her mother at the game may have affected her play early.
“She was nervous,” Sallee said. “You could see it. A freshman, first time in front of mom.”
Fontaine went 1-of-4 from the field in the first half. She also committed six turnovers in the first half, more than half were unforced.
“It’s any kid in college the first time mom or dad show up,” Sallee said. “They want to play really well. They want to play perfectly. So their focus is more on ‘I want to play perfectly.’ Instead of ‘Hey, let’s go win a game.’”
However, in the second half, she seemed to relax. Fontainescored most of her points late in the game.
Ball State had trouble adjusting the Eastern Michigan’s 2-3 zone throughout the first half. The Cardinals committed 16 turnovers in the first half, leading to a 15-13 deficit.
“They fly around on defense, and it takes a little bit longer to adjust to,” forward Katie Murphy said. “It’s just Eastern’s defense. We get it every year. It’s just a crazy defense. They’re flying through the lanes trying to get steals in your face.”
Sallee agreed that Eastern Michigan’s defense gave his team problems in the first half.
“We turned it over so dagonne much,” Sallee said. “And really, I don’t think they were forced, a lot of travels. We caught two of them out-of-bounds. I mean, who does that?”
The Cardinals surpassed their first half total in scoring just nine minutes into the second half.
Sophomore Shelbie Justice also found her spots in the second half after a scoreless first half. She hit a 3-pointer on the left wing at the 10:32 mark, then, after an Eastern Michigan missed shot, drove for a layup through a foul. She made the free throw to score six straight points in less than 30 seconds.
“It always feels good to hit a shot,” Justice said. “Not just me, but the whole team was shooting well [in the second half], so that just boosted our energy on the offensive end.”
Until after the game, Sallee hadn’t spoken to Fontaine’s mother. He said he would thank her for trusting him with Nathalie when they finally would speak.
“The important thing is her mom’s here,” Sallee said. “She can get a little bit of mom’s loving and get rejuvenated.”
Fifteen minutes after the game, Fontaine burst out of the locker room and ran back onto the court to see her mom. She nearly jumped into her mom’s arms with a hug.
