After experiencing her team's second loss of the season Saturday, Ball State University women's basketball coach Tracy Roller said it wasn't hard to figure out what her team must do to improve.
"It doesn't take a genius to realize that Louisville scored 81 points, Indiana scored 76 and Wright State scored 52," Roller said. "Our defense just isn't where it needs to be right now."
Following a 76-71 loss to Indiana University, the Cardinals have allowed an average of 69 points in its first three games, four points more than last year's average. Ball State shot 55 percent from the field Saturday, but allowed the Hoosiers to shoot 52 percent on the game.
Porchia Green, who the Cardinals generally rely on as their defensive stopper, ended the game with two steals, no blocked shots and three points. Green picked up her second foul with 5:54 left in the first half and was forced to sit on the bench for the remainder of the opening period. At that time, Ball State held a 33-19 lead, but Indiana capitalized on Green being on the bench and finished the half with a 19-5.
"Obviously we are a different team without Porchia Green defensively," Roller said. "We need to either keep Porchia in the game or find another person that, when she gets into foul trouble, comes in and does what she does."
Ball State subdued the Hoosiers' top two scoring threats throughout the evening. Indiana forwards Whitney Thomas and Amber Jackson averaged a combined 33 points in the team's first two games of the season. Saturday, the duo combined for 19 points - 11 for Thomas and eight for Jackson.
However, the Hoosiers' sophomore guard Jamie Braun led Indiana with 24 points and a team-high six assists.
Ball State allowed 15 offensive rebounds, and the Hoosiers scored 15 points on those extra opportunities.
"On the defensive end we didn't box out very well," Julie DeMuth said. "Our defense just struggled at times."
Ball State had a plus-two rebounding margin against its opponents last year and averaged 2.4 more turnovers per game. Those defensive numbers helped the Cardinals to average a plus-eight point differential last season.
The Ball State defense needs to step up to get back to last year's level, Roller said.
"We were a good defensive team in the past, and now we're not," Roller said. "I think that's concerning to everybody. We're in a position where we know we are scoring pretty consistently but we're just not stopping people."
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