Brown posts 13th career double-double in Ball State Women's Basketball win over Kent State

<p>Graphic by <strong>Emily Wright,DN</strong></p>

Graphic by Emily Wright,DN

It was more than just one game on the line tonight as Ball State Women's Basketball (7-11, 2-4 MAC) took on Kent State (10-7, 3-3 MAC). The Golden Flashes had not won a game inside Worthen Arena since 1997.

And the Cardinals were able to hold them off yet again. The Golden Flashes lost their 12th game in a row inside Worthen Arena with a score of 48-44.

“That was old school play,” head coach Brady Sallee said. “I credit both teams. We talk all the time about the toughness it takes to defend a team like that. I give kudos to Kent State, we knew they were going to compete.” 

Despite high turnovers and a low outside shooting percentage, sophomore forward Oshlynn Brown was the deciding factor, scoring 10 in just two minutes and 42 seconds of play.

With a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds, Brown managed to seal back-to-back three-point plays late in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a late six-point lead and ultimately seal the win.

“I knew I had to be more physical later in the game,” Brown said. “I knew when I went into her, she was going to foul me.”

Along with Brown’s performance, junior guard Jasmin Samz registered 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds of her own, all while dishing six assists. Freshman forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir played her part as well, putting up 11 points; however, it was one of the Cardinals lowest scoring games of the season with just 48 points. 

“Honestly, we didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about offense,” Sallee said. “There weren’t a whole lot of runs on either team. We had a couple of five or six point runs, and in a game like this, that’s huge.”

It was a rough start for the Cardinals as they racked up eight turnovers in the first quarter alone. Despite the turnovers and losing the rebounding game, the Cardinals were able to end the first quarter with a one-point lead at 9-8. 

Samz led the Cardinals throughout the first half, posting nine points and tacking on three assists to guide the offense. The shots weren’t falling for the Cardinals as they went 0-7 behind the arc and just 29 percent from the field between the first and second quarters.

The Golden Flahses won the rebounding game by a margin of six in the first half, beating the Cardinals to the boards on the offensive and defensive ends.

Both teams struggled to make things happen in the third quarter, and the Golden Flashes saw their first lead of the second half at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a score of 33-32.

While Brown’s three-point plays took the cake, senior guard Nakeya Penny had a crucial block and steal late in the quarter to keep the Golden Flashes from inching closer.

Through the Cardinals outside shooting struggles and high volume of turnovers, the strong defensive presence was the standout part of the night for Sallee.

“I was completely enamored with what we were doing on the defensive end,” Sallee said. “The way you handle not making outside shots is throwing it to your big inside, and luckily we’ve got one.” 

Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on Twitter @gabiglassbsu

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