The Ball State women's basketball team faced Toledo on Sunday only to come out with victory 73 - 69. The Lady Cards will next face Eastern Michigan at Eastern in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Click on the images to the right to see a photo gallery of the game.
In a game of runs and momentum swings, Ball State capitalized when it mattered most to cash in to pick up the victory and move above .500 on the season. The Cardinals improved to 9-8 (3-1 Mid-American Conference) while dropping the Rockets to 13-4 (3-1 MAC).
Ball State posted a score of 192.85. However, the Cardinals' season-high team score was not enough to overcome the host Wildcats, who had a near flawless day to win the event with a score of 195. New Hampshire won each event to take the team title. Ball State finished in second in the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercise.
In the last minute of the game, the Cardinals led 66-62 when the Rockets began fouling, hoping for a few missed foul shots. Toledo did not get what they hoped for, as Ball State made seven of eight, six coming from senior guard Audrey McDonald.
With Brittany McGinnis, Christie Waters and Andrea Felton now out, four of the six players from coach Dave Boos' 2008 recruiting class are now no longer with the program, joining former defensive specialist Emily Fisher, who left the team at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season. Only defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra and middle blocker Jennifer Boyd remain with the team.
Through Thursday's games, the Cardinals ranked last in Division I in 3-pointers made per game. With that in mind, Toledo coach Gene Cross said his game plan was to take away Ball State center Jarrod Jones, who leads the team in scoring. The Rockets limited the sophomore to six points, but enabled Ball State's shooters to get open looks.
Ball State posted a score of 192.85. However, the Cardinals' season-high team score was not enough to overcome the host Wildcats, who had a near flawless day to win the event with a score of 195. New Hampshire won each event to take the team title. Ball State finished in second in the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercise.
The Ball State University men's basketball team faced the University of Toledo Sunday afternoon and came out with a victory, 71-43.' The Cardinals will face Western Michigan University Wednesday at 7p.m. at Worthen Arena. Click on the images to the right to see a photo gallery of the game.
The Cardinals opened the match by losing the doubles point, but not without a fight. Sophomores Zane Smith and Andres Monroy were edged 8-6 by the Wildcats' Alex Sanborn and Joshua Graves at No. 2 doubles, while Ball State's No. 1 duo of junior Eduardo Pavia and freshman Dalton Albertin lost 8-5 to Northwestern's Andrew McCarthy and Tobias Reitz.
The Ball State University men's volleyball team's stint in the top 15 coaches poll was short lived. After being swept in its season opener against unranked Loyola University last week, Ball State dropped from its No. 13 ranking and out of the newest coaches poll released Monday.
Going into Sunday's match at No. 47 Northwestern University, Ball State men's tennis coach Bill Richards knew his team would be challenged by stiff competition. Talking after the match, Richards didn't seem surprised by the results.
Junior Thekla Lorenz had the sole event victory of the day for Ball State, winning the long jump with a 5.7-meter leap. Ra'Jae Marable also had an impressive performance, posting a third place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.82 seconds.
The event wasn't settled until the final swim — the 400 freestyle relay. Ball State led by a hair, 143-140, going into the event, and the group of Joan Cullen, Jillian Bischoff, Nicole Saulters and Katie Bylsma (3:34.39) eventually won by six seconds, cementing the win for the Cardinals.
For continuing coverage of today's game, check back with bsudailynews.com, and for complete coverage, read tomorrow's online edition of The Ball State Daily News.
As music and song filled Sursa Hall Thursday, a message rang out above it all. The night was an event of celebration and remembrance in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many students and staff members participated through music selection and listened respectfully while excerpts of interviews were read from Muncie residents living during the Civil Rights Movement. Ball State University history professor Anthony Edmonds was one of the residents interviewed.
For complete coverage of today's game, check back with bsudailynews.com.
The Ball State University men's and women's basketball teams host the University of Toledo today at Worthen Arena in what are pivotal games for both teams.As always, check out our live, in-game updates on Twitter and at bsudailynews.com.
Toledo (13-3, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) enters today's game as the favorite. The Rockets were picked the preseason favorite in the MAC and have flexed their muscle this season. Their big win this season was over No. 20 University of Dayton. Toledo enters the contest on a five-game winning streak.
Junior Hayley Hall was the first to finish singles play with a relatively easy 6-0, 6-1 No. 2 singles win over Dayton's Loni Dickerhoof, setting the tone for the rest of the match to be in the Cardinals' favor. Junior Georgina Thomson (No. 4 singles), sophomore Kylee Johnson (No. 5) and freshman Lauren Pickrel (No. 6) rounded out the singles winners for Ball State.
Ball State was led by its experience in the middle. Juniors J.D. Gasparovic (16 kills, .500 hitting percentage) and Anders Nelson (13, .550) led the Cardinals' offense. On defense, Billy Ebel had a match-high 15 digs, while Nelson had eight blocks.
