The BGSU Women’s Basketball team (13-12, 5-8 MAC) fell to the Ball State Cardinals (21-5, 12-1 MAC) on the road, by a score of 82-67.
The BG women were coming off two straight wins, a nonconference victory against Coastal Carolina and a conference win over lowly Buffalo. Ball State entered off a five-game win streak, with their only conference loss being to one-seed Miami (OH).
The Falcons actually led by two (19-17) after the first quarter, thanks to eight points from junior guard Paige Kohler. But Ball State outscored BG 19-9 in the second quarter, taking a 36-28 lead into halftime.
Shooting was a major reason for BG’s underperformance. The Falcons took 69 shots compared to the Cardinals’ 60, but made eight fewer shots. The Orange and Brown shot 35% from the field while the Red and Black shot 53%.
Kohler led all Falcons with 17 points, but her afternoon was dwarfed by that of Ball State senior Bree Salenbrien, who had 35 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Tessa Towers had a double-double for the Cards, with 14 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Perhaps most striking about Ball State was their efficiency. Towers racked up her 14 points by going 7-of-9 from the field, without attempting a three-point shot. Salenbrien 11-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three, and was near-perfect (7-of-8) at the charity stripe.
Sophomore forward Lauren Gerken also had a strong performance for the Falcons, with 16 points and going 4-of-7 from three.
Both teams relied on their starters, combining for just seven total bench points; BG had five, while BSU had two. The Falcons led in steals and won the turnover battle, but could not defend against Ball State’s star players.
The advanced stats add to the story of Ball State’s offensive effectiveness. The Cardinals averaged 1.093 points per possession, compared to .893 for the Falcons.
BG will look to bounce back, as each of their five remaining matchups holds MAC Tournament implications. The Falcons sit at eighth in MAC play, and will host tenth-ranked Western Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. Coverage can be found on WBGU 88.1 FM and at bgfalconmedia.com.
