Trailing 41-32 at halftime of Wednesday's game against Northern Illinois University, senior point guard Kelsey Corbin knew her team needed to get out to quick start in the opening minutes of the second half.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, both Corbin and Porchia Green realized the urgency of the moment.
The duo sparked a 16-4 run, including the first 10 points of the second period, to give Ball State University its first lead of the night at 48-45. That stretch helped the Cardinals to an 81-70 victory, giving Ball State its 22nd win in the last regular season game of the year.
Corbin said it was vital for the Cardinals to attack in the opening minutes of the second half.
"We wanted to come out of the gates real hard because we didn't have a solid performance in the first half," Corbin said. "We really lacked energy and communication in the first half. Big props to Porchia because she stepped up her defense and got a couple key steals and that really propelled us."
After struggling from the field in the first half, Ball State shot 12-of-25 in the second period to finish the game at 24-of-56. The Cardinals were 1-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. However, Ball State made up for its poor 3-point shooting at the foul line. The Cardinals connected on 32-of-35 from the free-throw line, including their last 16 of the game, compared to Northern Illinois' 12-of-17 clip.
Corbin said the Cardinals' ability to get easy points from the foul line helped spark an offense that scored 49 second-half points.
"When we're not shooting well from the field we have to find other ways to score," Corbin said. "[The officials] were making good calls and we were making our foul shots. When you hit your free throws it makes a big difference because it gives you confidence on the offensive end."
Northern Illinois scored 41 first-half points on 16-of-34 shooting. The Huskies also made all six of their 3-point baskets in the first period. In the second half, Ball State held the Huskies to 10-of-23 from the field in the second period. Even more, Northern Illinois didn't earn a single 3-point basket in the final 20 minutes and finished the game 6-of-17 from behind the 3-point arc.
Ball State coach Tracy Roller said her team's defensive intensity picked up in the second half.
"We played zone most of the night, except for a couple possessions at the end of the second half," Roller said. "I thought us picking up our defensive intensity and getting out on [Northern Illinois'] shooters was the difference in the game."
Corbin led all scorers with 22 points and added a team-high four assists. Green added 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Starting forward Lisa Rusche is suffering from a cold and was originally left behind when the team left for Northern Illinois Tuesday. Rusche ended up making the trip, leaving Ball State's campus at 8:30 in the morning Wednesday. However, the junior played just 16 minutes.
Julie DeMuth recorded her 10th double-double of the year, scoring 20 points and adding a game-high 13 rebounds to help lead a group effort in filling in for Rusche's diminished production.
"That's how this team is. If somebody goes down, other people are going to step up," Roller said. "I was proud of the way everybody filled in tonight. We really pulled together as a team."
The win allowed Ball State to enter the Mid-American Conference tournament on a three-game win streak. It was also a timely victory, helping the Cardinals get in better position for a possible at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.
Roller said being able to build momentum heading into the MAC tournament will pay dividends next week in Cleveland.
"I think we've beat three really good teams and done so by coming back in the second half," Roller said. "This time of the year, records go out the window and it's all about who has the momentum. Looking at scores today, it's going to be crazy in Cleveland, but our team has the confidence that we can win in any situation."
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