Things looked optimistic for Ball State as sophomore guard Brandy Woody hit two free throws to give the Cards a 65-62 lead with five seconds left in overtime. On the ensuing possession, with Woody defending, Stetson's Victoria McGowan ran to the three-point line and fired a shot toward the hoop.
Woody and the 596 fans attending the game could only watch as the ball swished into the net, sending the game into double-overtime, where the Cardinals would fight their way to a 78-73 win against the Hatters.
"I was just like, ‘Well, we've got another one,'" sophomore forward Jazmin Hitchens said. "I just was really focusing on encouraging Brandy because [McGowan] shot it on her, and I'm like, ‘Brandy, it's a lucky shot; we've got a whole another five minutes.'"
The Cardinals started the game well against the Hatters, jumping out to a 21-10 lead midway through the first half. But 15 turnovers and 17 missed shots plagued Ball State as Stetson went on a 21-4 run to end the opening period ahead, 31-25.
"I just told them they had to recreate the energy that they started the game with defensively, and they did," coach Kelly Packard said. "And at no point are we allowed to dwell on discouragement, at no point are we allowed to believe that the game got away; those are the types of things I'd say in timeouts. This team just has to believe despite discouragement in situations and battle back."
Sunday's win was the Cardinals' first double-overtime game in almost a full year. The previous one was Dec. 12, 2010 in a home loss to Butler.
Late in the second half of regulation, the Cardinals fought back to tie the game, with a lot of assistance from sophomore forward Katie Murphy.
Throughout the first 18:40 of regulation, Murphy had zero points. However, through the second half's final 1:20 and first overtime, she scored eight points to give Ball State a much-needed boost against Stetson.
Woody went on to hit 5-of-6 free throws to help secure a win for her team.
Stetson hit just 9-of-17 free throws as a team throughout the game, while Ball State hit 21-of-28 from the foul line.
Hitchens scored four of her 20 points from the free-throw line.
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