The Ball State women's basketball team recovered from a lastsecond loss in their first exhibition game by winning a close one,75-69, against the National Team of Holland on Sunday.
Senior Julie Just started the game off with a three point shot,but the Cardinals let the National Team of Holland score fourstraight to take the lead. After a 6-0 run, in which junior KateEndress scored all six points, Ball State regained the lead andwould not relinquish it until 5:25 left in the second half.
Behind Endress's 12 first-half points, the Cardinals took a45-36 lead into halftime.
In the second half the Cardinals held onto the lead untilHolland tied the score with 5:25 remaining. Holland then took thelead at 4:45 and it remained close the rest of the game.
Endress gave the Cardinals the lead going into the final threeminutes with her jumper. Senior Jessica Reiter then increased thelead to three points with 59 seconds left in the game. Endresslater made the lead five with two free throws and all the Cardinalshad to do from there was convert their free throws.
"I just thought it was a good team performance," Endress said."You're going to get great looks when people are giving you greatpasses off great screens."
Endress led the team with 20 points and was nearly perfect fromthe floor, converting seven of nine field goals and all fivefree-throw attempts. Reiter and senior Johna Goff also scored indouble figures; Reiter had 12 points while Goff had 10. Reiter ledthe team in rebounds with nine, putting her close to adouble-double.
"Last week was a heart-breaker. We were up by 20 and ended uplosing by three," Reiter said. "Today it felt good to pull togetheras a team and have freshman, underclassmen, step up to pull offthis close win."
The team was able to get the win, but still realizes it needs toimprove upon some things before they open the season.
"We're talking the talk when it comes to defense, but we're notwalking it," head coach Tracy Roller said about the team'sdefense.
"Somehow we need to fire up (defensive) intensity," Roller saidabout what the team will have to do heading into their regularseason. "We've got to find a way to get it done everypossession."
The Cardinals will open the season Friday at the DePaul MoranRealty Classic when they face Northwestern State.
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