Head coach Brady Sallee watched his team’s 22-point lead evaporate.
With 4:35 left, the Ball State women’s basketball team was tied with Western Kentucky at 68.
Sophomore Nathalie Fontaine worked herself deep into the post, where junior Shelbie Justice found her with a lob pass.
The Swedish transfer turned and fired, her opponent making contact with Fontaine as the ball rose through the air. The refs whistle blew, and the ball fell through the hoop.
Fontaine erupted, and so did Worthen Arena.
“In a game like that, if you don’t come out of your shoes after plays like that, you’ve got to question something about yourself,” Sallee said. “Nathalie will tell you that I had to take her pulse during practice, but today it was pumping.”
Fontaine finished the game with 23 points, tying her career-high as Ball State knocked off Western Kentucky 85-77.
The and-one instance was a momentum turner for the Cardinals, which never trailed after the basket.
She didn’t finish a large portion of her shots. She went just 6-15 throughout the game, but constantly maneuvered throughout the Western Kentucky defense and drew contact, bringing her to the free throw line.
She went 11-12 from the line, making the most of each opportunity after being fouled. Despite the close score, nerves never set in.
“Basketball is a game that’s going to go up and down,” Fontaine said. “You have to focus on getting rebounds and playing good defense and the offense will come.”
That defense came into fruition during the waning moment of the game.
With just 1:28 remaining and trailing by six, Western Kentucky’s three-point attempted rattled around the rim and fell out.
Fontaine was immediately there, diving on the ground to wrestle the loose ball away from Chastity Gooch, allowing her team to call a timeout as Western Kentucky players swarmed her.
Both during that instance and throughout the game, she showed confidence that was lacking last season. As a freshman, she might have surrendered the possession to Gooch, or let her teammate Brandy Woody dive into the fray instead.
Fontaine credited getting stronger over the offseason as one of the keys to her increase in confidence.
“Confidence comes from demonstrated ability,” Sallee said. “She’s playing well every day and not just in games. … The kid has grown up, and there’s no doubt we’ve got a good one.”
The confidence continued to show as the game drew to a close. With just more than a minute left, she missed a layup but wasn’t down on herself. She said she understands missing is no excuse to lose faith in her ability.
On the other end, Fontaine’s defense in the paint prevented Western Kentucky from getting easy baskets. Instead, the team kicked the ball behind the three-point line and couldn’t convert as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Unlike when Fontaine converted her own three-point play.
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