Ball State Women's Basketball (7-13, 2-6 MAC) has not beat Ohio (18-2, 7-2 MAC) since their matchup on Jan. 18, 2014. The Bobcats made sure to continue to hold that advantage over the Cardinals as they dominated Ball State 94-62, to extend their winning streak against the Cardinals to seven games. Here are four key takeaways from the blowout loss to Ohio.
Burke and Hooks too much
Ohio’s junior guard Amani Burke put on a show against Ball State. Burke let it fly from deep, making 11-14 3-pointers in the contest, breaking Ohio’s school record and falling just one shy of the NCAA 3-point record in a single game.
All of Burke’s points came strictly from behind the arc, putting up a career-high 33 points. Sophomore guard Cierra Hooks also played a part in the Bobcats' high-powered offensive performance, recording a double-double with 26 points and 12 assists.
Turnovers turn into points
Turnovers have become a trend in some of the Cardinals' losses this season, and Ball State struggled again to take care of the ball early. The Cardinals committed 16 first-half turnovers and the Bobcats capitalized on it by scoring 16 points and giving them an early advantage with 28-16.
Ball State was unable to clean up the mistakes and finished the game committing 27 total turnovers. The Bobcats' defense was able to play the passing lanes, helping them get out on the fast break to push the tempo, which resulted in easy buckets. Ohio finished the game with 32 total points scored off of the Cardinals' turnovers.
Bobcats balanced scoring attack
Burke and Hooks carried the main load for the Bobcats' offense, but Ohio made Ball State defend them inside and out, being productive from all spots on the court. All 10 Ohio players who saw court time found themselves on the score sheet as well.
Ohio’s three-point shots were the dagger to Ball State. The Bobcats started the game knocking down six three-pointers in the first quarter and then ran off a 35-point third quarter making 8-10 threes, only missing three total shots in the quarter.
“They were hurting us in the paint and they were hurting us from the 3-point line,” head coach Brady Sallee said. “We tried to keep one of those from happening, but wasn’t so successful in doing that and you have to give them a lot of credit.”
Ohio finished the contest shooting 52 percent from the field and 17-37 from behind the arc.
Brown contained
Sophomore guard Maliah Howard-Bass led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points, and freshman forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir added 14. However, Ohio's main goal was containing Ball State’s season-leading scorer Oshlynn Brown. They sent double teams Brown’s way when she had positioning in the paint, not letting her get comfortable in her hot spots. Brown was held to only four points and fouled out late in the third quarter.
Despite the outcome, the Cardinals were able to shoot the ball at an efficient rate throughout the game. Ball State was shooting at 50 percent clip in the first half but the constant turnovers held the offense back. The Cardinals ended the game shooting about 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep.
Contact Daric Clemens with any comments at diclemens@bsu.edu or on Twitter @DClemens.
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