The basketball ended up in the hands of Ball State junior guard Brittany Carter for a final desperation three-point heave in overtime.
With six seconds remaining in the extra period, Ball State needed a three-pointer to tie and go to double overtime with the Mid-American Conference leading Central Michigan Chippewas.
Carter missed the three-point attempt from the left corner, as the ball fell just short of the hoop, keeping Central Michigan perfect in MAC play at 10-0.
“What we were trying to do was back screen with Shelby Merder,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “If she didn’t have it, Brittany was emptying into the corner, so Shelby had to make one more pass to Brit—Brit got a pretty clean look for that situation.”
Ball State started off Thursday night’s contest by falling behind 7-0 in the first three minutes. It took a 30 second timeout to spark the Cardinals to go on an 8-0 run.
“Tough loss to swallow, I feel for our kids and tip my hat to Central Michigan.” Sallee said. “They kept battling and I thought we kept battling.”
Ball State closed out the first half on an 18-7 run. Sophomore Nathalie Fontaine provided a spark, scoring 12 of her 23 points in that first period. Senior Brandy Woody also contributed nine points in the first half.
The 9-12 Cardinals finished 9-27 from three point distance as their bench outscored the Chippewas’ 19-10. Fontaine’s 23 points was a team-best, as she pulled down six rebounds to go along with it.
Jill Morrison came off the bench to chip in nine points and two assists. All of her points came from three-point distance. Merder was selected over freshman Renee Bennett due to the fast pace of the game. Merder finished with eight points and seven rebounds in her 26 minutes off the bench.
“We’re trying to win games and I’ve got to put players out there that I think can help us do that on a nightly basis.” Sallee said. “Renee’s fine, the kids that played, they played well.”
The Cardinals contained junior guard Crystal Bradford well in the first half. The Chippewas leading scorer was held to just two points in the first half to add to her seven rebounds and seven assists.
The second half was a polar opposite as the reigning MAC West player of the week erupted for 26 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, giving her a triple-double.
She scored 15 points in the final 11 minutes of regulation.
The Cardinals dropped to 4-6 in MAC play and get a brief resting period before traveling to DeKalb, Ill., to face the Northern Illinois Huskies on Sunday, Jan. 9.
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