Kiley Jarrett spun around, faced Central Michigan University's bench and pumped her fist with an enthusiastic scream as teammate Porchia Green muscled a first-half layup through the net.
With the included free throw, Green's 3-point play capped Ball State University's 20-5 run that handed it a 13-point lead midway through the opening period. Following an unenthusiastic loss to the University of Toledo Saturday, Jarrett's emotion displayed why Central Michigan never closed within double figures during the final 30 minutes as the Cardinals pulled away to an 82-57 win, its largest victory of the season.
"We had to get our game and our intensity back," Jarrett said. "Coach stressed it in practice, and I think it definitely carried over to the game. That's when we're at our best - when our energy is up and we're chest bumping and doing all that fun stuff."
The Cardinals' first-half run was ignited with sophomore Audrey McDonald's first of a career-high six 3-point field goals, which immediately followed the game's first media timeout. Slightly more than 15 minutes later, Ball State had effectively won its fourth Mid-American Conference game with a 48-32 halftime lead, its largest at intermission this season.
In the second half, the Cardinals' advantage expanded to 28 points at 79-51, its largest lead of the game.
"You never, never anticipate this kind of a win because it's always a battle every time out in the MAC," acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. "I knew we were going to have to come out and give our best effort, and I think we did. That's why we were successful."
After recording a MAC season-low 11 points off turnovers at Toledo, Ball State scored points in transition throughout Wednesday's contest. Central Michigan committed 20 turnovers, and the Cardinals were able to capitalize with 28 points off those mistakes, which tied for their season high.
"We always say Ball State defense turns into Ball State offense," Lisa McDonald said. "We know to get our transition game going, we have to get stops defensively. That's what keys our fast break."
When it wasn't running the floor in transition, Ball State was still able to find success offensively. The Cardinals shot 54.4 percent from the field, which was its best clip since an 83-67 win against Vermont on Nov. 23.
Audrey McDonald led four Ball State starters in double figures with 20 points. However, Lisa McDonald said it was the one starter that didn't record double figures, Jarrett, that generated the Cardinals' offensive success. Ball State's junior point guard finished with eight points, but also recorded a career-high 12 assists.
"The stats say she was incredible tonight, but she's been a great leader for us all year," Lisa McDonald said. "You just look in her eyes and you see the will to win every time she's on the floor. She brings everybody else on the floor to another level with the way she plays and the way she carries her team. It really paid off tonight in the way she was able to pick apart [Central Michigan's] defense."
Wednesday's victory was Ball State's second consecutive home win and gave the Cardinals a 4-1 conference record after their first round against divisional opponents. That mark places the team in a tie atop the MAC West Division with Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, two programs Ball State has already defeated this season.
Jarrett said the most important aspect of Ball State's victory against the Chippewas was it gave her team much-needed momentum before playing arch-rival Bowling Green State University Saturday.
"Words, I don't think, can describe how big this win was," Jarrett said. "It puts us at 4-1 in the West, and now we go to the East side [of the conference] and try to carry it over."
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