Almost two weeks after being outrebounded by 20 against Valparaiso, Ball State played with increased intensity in their 62-59 win over Miami (OH).
Ball State won the rebounding battle 46-34, with every player getting into the action on the offensive boards. All eight players for the Cardinals pulled down at least one offensive rebound, with Katie Murphy leading the team with seven.
Nathalie Fontaine led the team in total rebounds with 10, giving her another double double as she also led the team in scoring with 17.
“We felt like coming into this that Miami was the best rebounding team in the league, in our conference,” Ball State coach Brady Sallee said. “But everything we’ve been doing in practice is rebounding.”
Sallee credited the overall increase in intensity to how his team has been practicing, saying that the team is showing more energy in all phases of practice, including before and after.
“Our practices have been so intense and so full of energy, they’ve come to work to get better,” Sallee said. “At the end of the day, being a great practice team gets you somewhere.”
After several games of being outhustled, Sallee said the team was trying to show more effort.
“It was definitely something that we made a conscious effort to change,” Sallee said when asked about the increase in intensity. “That’s how you start to become a team that’s easily identifiable.”
Junior guard Brandy Woody finished the game with 7 assists and 6 rebounds, but her hustle to get loose balls helped give Ball State extra possessions.
Often stuck in the bottom of pileups for loose balls, Woody has consistently been the Cardinals grittiest player this season.
“It’s just the way coach wants us to play,” Woody said. “It’s fun for me when there’s a loose ball. I can kind of do the dirty work.”
Woody’s mentality rubbed off on teammate Brittany Carter, whose hustle led to tying the game at 48 with just less than nine minutes left.
Coming off a missed shot, Carter leapt out of bounds to save the ball and passed to Woody, who immediately gave it back to Carter, which lead to a three pointer that tied the game.
“It’s always that loose ball,” Carter said. “That one was headed out of bounds and it was easily mine, I was right there, chucked it back out, came back in wide open.”
Just 23 seconds later, Carter hit another three, giving Ball State the lead. She deflected credit, saying that her job is easy once Woody sets her up.
Woody said that the game became easier once they increased their energy level.
“If we hustle after the loose balls, the game just comes to us,” Woody said. “I started off by diving on the floor and getting those loose balls.”
Woody believes that the energy she exhibited against Miami has an effect on her teammates, and makes an effort to show it during the opening minutes of each game.
“If I do that, then everyone just feeds off of me and it trickles down,” Woody said. “Our bench is going crazy, everyone tonight was just playing hard and doing what they do.”
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