Less than three minutes into Saturday's game against Miami University, three 3-pointers and a driving layup gave Ball State University an 11-0 lead.
The three-minute segment foreshadowed what became a 90-62 Cardinal rout.
The 28-point advantage against the Red Hawks was Ball State's largest margin of victory over a Mid-American Conference opponent since a 99-55 win against the University of Akron on Jan. 22, 2002.
Cardinals coach Tracy Roller said she was looking for her squad to start strong.
"That's something we've been focusing and working on, but I think this team was very pumped up for this game," Roller said. "We talked in the locker room [before the game] about going out and getting them in the jugular."
Though the Cardinals scored the first 11 points, senior point guard Kelsey Corbin picked up two fouls in the opening sequence of play, and sat the rest of the half.
Taking advantage of Corbin's foul trouble, Miami cut its deficit to 20-14 midway through the first half. However, Corbin's replacement, sophomore Kiley Jarrett, had seven points, four assists and three steals in 15 first-half minutes.
The sophomore also helped lead a 16-2 run that pushed Ball State's lead to 20 with five minutes to play in the opening half. Jarrett finished with nine points and five assists.
Freshman Kalynne Proctor added 11 points and five rebounds for a bench that outscored Miami's reserves 36-26. Jarrett said the Cardinals' bench was out to make a statement.
"On this team, you're not losing much when you sub someone in off the bench," Jarrett said. "That's the point we're trying to make. Just because we have a player in foul trouble, it doesn't mean we can't keep our lead when we bring someone off the bench."
The Cardinals hit their first five 3-pointers and finished with 8-of-12 shooting from behind the arc, compared to Miami's 3-for-15.
"We talk about attack mentality, but sometimes it doesn't come out on the floor," Roller said. "I thought today it did. Everything was going in, and those nights when you're in the zone like that are few and far between, unfortunately. But they are very fun to be a part of."
The Red Hawks cut the Cardinals lead to 10 with 8:34 remaining in regulation. However, Ball State answered with a 21-2 run, including 17 unanswered points. The run pushed the score to 85-56 with a little less than four minutes to go.
Ball State junior forward Julie DeMuth, who lead the Cardinals with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds, said the Cardinals put an emphasis on responding to Miami's runs.
"I think that we knew they would make runs at us," DeMuth said. "We just had to refocus whenever [Miami] would make a run. We didn't want to let them back in the game, and we focused on counterattacking their attack. That's why we came out with the win."
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