Chicago, Ill. — The Ball State women's basketball teamfell to 0-2 after losing two close games this weekend at the eighthannual DePaul Moran Realty Classic.
The Cardinals opened against the Northwestern State Lady Demons,and behind junior Kate Endress's 18 first half points, controlledthe game in the first half. With 5:12 left in the half, they had a20-point lead, their largest of the game. Although in the finalfive minutes of the half, Northwestern did chip away at the leadgiving Ball State only a 48-38 point lead at the half.
The Cardinal's went cold during the second half. After shooting44 percent from the floor in the first half, they shot only 29percent in the second. They also only converted 57 percent of theirfree throws in the second half. They held their last two-digit leadat the 13:11 mark, and the Demons would get the lead down to onepoint three times before they eventually tied it and took the leadoff of two La'Terrica Dobin free throws with 44 seconds left.
After a turnover, Dobin put one of two free throws in to make it80-82. Senior Johna Goff had time with 7 seconds left to try for alayup, but it hit the bottom of the basket.
Head coach Tracy Roller said her three points of emphasis forthe game were accomplished: holding them to under 40 percent fromthe floor, out rebounding them by five and not committing more then17 turnovers.
"You're going to have droughts where you don't score, but you'vegot to stop them defensively," Roller said. "You don't hit shots,you don't win games, it just comes down to that."
Senior Jessica Reiter had a career-high 18 rebounds to go alongwith her 12 points, giving her a double-double. Sophomore RaechelleHampton had a career high in points with 14, but missed having adouble-double by one rebound. Endress finished with 21 points aftergetting in foul trouble in the second half.
"Coach said when we were watching scout films that they weren'tgood rebounders and if we'd crash the boards, we'd get a lot, sothat's just what I tried to do," Reiter said about herperformance.
In their second game, they faced the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in a tale of two halves.
In the first half, after Endress hit a three-point shot to breaka 2-2 tie, the Cardinals would not relinquish their lead the restof the half. The lead was not under five until 55 seconds left inthe half when the Panthers closed out the half with a 5-2 rungiving them intensity going into the locker room down only37-35.
The Panthers hit a three point shot at the 17:46 mark in thesecond half, giving them a four-point lead. They led the rest ofthe game, although never by more than nine points. In the finalminutes, the Cardinals were never able to get the lead under threepoints, losing with a final score of 78-73.
"I feel horrible," Roller said. "We're better than this. All ofus expected to come up here and play a lot better than we did. Noneof us in that locker room like to lose, we're not used to it, it'sbeen a hard weekend for us all."
There were some positives in individual play though. Reiter hadanother double-double performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds.Her efforts paid off as she was named to the All-Tournament Team.Endress also had 14 points and Goff finished with 12.
"She gives it all when she's out there, she lays it on thefloor," Roller said about Reiter.
Although the team didn't come away with a win, Roller sees goodthings in the team.
"I think everybody had moments of greatness," Roller said. "Wehave great players, we just can't put it together right now, but Iknow we'll find a way, we'll put it together soon."
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