Ball State women’s basketball won its 13th straight game after topping the Bowling Green Falcons in a 71-51 matchup.
Bowling Green (11-11, 5-6) played a hard brand, but Ball State (19-4, 11-0) came through with the win in a physical, defensive matchup.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Cardinals out-grit the Falcons.
Although the stats did not jump off the page, the Cardinals had the Falcons visibly frustrated. From shot-clock violations, steals, blocks, and traps in the half and full-court.
The Cardinals, in their signature full-court press, stifled the Falcons’ offensive possessions. In the first half alone, Bowling Green turned the ball over nine times. Only three of the turnovers came off steals.
Ball State forced its opponent to one shot clock violation in the first half, something the Cardinals have been able to do in their recent contests. Against Western Michigan Feb. 1, the Broncos were unable to get shots off on three occasions.
The Cardinals were outscored in the paint, but only by four. Ball State out-rebounded the Falcons 47-to-31 and scored 16 second-chance points. If Ball State can continue to be a gritty and tough team, there are not many other MAC teams at that level.
At the end of the first half, Bowling Green was scoreless for the final three minutes. They had shot just 1-for-8 from the field to close out the half. Bowling Green scored just nine points in the second period of play to the Cardinals 20.
Two Cardinals put up double-doubles.
Becki and Richard both tallied double-doubles on the stat sheet against the Falcons. Becki scored 17 points with 10 assists, while Richard scored 17 and had 11 rebounds.
The play from Becki at the point, and Richard in the paint, has been a dominant force since the MAC slate began. Becki is averaging 17.4 points per game in MAC play, while Richard is averaging 14.2.
Becki is seventh in the conference in points per game but is first in assists and third in steals. She is leading the conference in field goal percentage at 51 percent.
Richard has continued to dominate the boards since her return. With the absence of Elise Stuck, Richard is averaging seven boards a game. Stuck was averaging eight a game but has not played since Jan. 11 at Buffalo.
With the Becki and Richard duo, it is no surprise the Cardinals are yet to lose a game in the MAC and have won 13 straight.
Ball State puts on a three-point clinic.
The Cardinals have not shown their dominance from deep this season. They have played an inside-out style on offense and relied on their paint production.
Tonight, the Cardinals shot 52.2 percent from deep compared to the 30.4 percent they are shooting on the season. They dropped 12 threes, and senior Madelyn Bischoff had six of them.
Bischoff was 6-for-10 from deep and had 20 points, leading all scorers. She played 34 minutes and tallied three rebounds. Becki was 5-for-8 from deep and Kiefer dropped the only three-pointer she put up.
If this new-found production can stick, along with the strong paint play, this could be a team to watch out for moving later into the season. With the three-point shooting, paint play, and strong defense, they have dominated MAC opponents. The Cardinals are winning MAC games by an average of 16 points per game, the closest contest was a nine-point victory over Kent State.
Ball State’s next contest is at James Madison Feb. 8 for the second round of the MAC vs Sun Belt Conference Challenge. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. from Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
Read More
Children’s book being created at Ball State
By Andie Zelaya / 28 minutes agoHow this team is helping create a children’s book to help represent diversity within the Muncie community.
Cloudy Rainy and Snowy Skies Ahead
39 minutes agoWeather Forecaster Blake Mattull is tracking Cloudy Rainy and Snowy conditions.
Former addict helps others through recovery program
By Alexia Bird / 1 hours agoTaz Miller, a former addict, created a recovery program for those struggling.
