Women’s Hoops Falls to Ball State

Box score.

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Cold shooting and turnovers plagued the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team in a 55-46 setback to Ball State Saturday night here at the Convocation Center. The Eagles shot just 34 percent (16-of-47), along with committing 20 turnovers as the Cardinals rallied from a six-point halftime deficit. The victory snapped a seven-game losing skid for BSU against EMU since a last-minute 66-65 decision at the Convocation Center, Feb. 1, 2003.

The loss drops EMU to 8-7 (3-1 MAC) and ends the Eagles 11-game conference winning streak and 16-game conference home-court winning streak. On the other side of the floor, the Ball State claims sole possession of atop the Mid-American Conference West Division standings with a 13-2 (4-0 MAC) record.

The Eagles were led by freshman Alyssa Pittman (Elkhart, Ind.-Elkhart Memorial) who scored a team-high 14 points, connecting four times from three-point range. Patrice McKinney (Lansing, Mich.-Everett) recorded her sixth double-double of the year, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Ball State was led by Julie Demuth who scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

EMU’s defense was able to control the tempo and slow down the Cardinals fast offense. The plan was effective as the Eagles limited the Cardinals to 55 points which was their lowest output of the season. However, EMU turned the ball over 20 times, leading to a 23-7 advantage in turnover points for Ball State.

Ball State opened up the game with five quick points, before EMU responded with a 7-0 run including big three-pointers from Pittman and senior Sarah VanMetre (Noblesville, Ind.-Noblesville). Both teams then settled down defensively. The Eagles only held a slight 13-10 edge after 13 minutes of play. A three-pointer from Annie Malatinsky (Holt, Mich.-Holt) started a 9-3 run for EMU, which featured dominant post play from freshman Emily Hanley (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community). The Cardinals were then able to pull within five points of the Eagles, before Pittman connected again from behind the arc. Ball State closed out the half with a pair of free throws, sending EMU into the locker room with a 25-19 lead.

For the half, EMU shot well from long range hitting 4-of-10 three-point attempts (40 percent) while Ball State controlled the boards holding a 21-16 advantage.

Ball State took the lead in the second half with a 14-7 run over the first six minutes of play. The Cardinal’s 33-32 advantage did not last for long though. EMU scored five straight points off of another Pittman three and free-throws from freshman Kelly Watts (Gary, Ind.-East Chicago Central). Ball State responded with a 7-0 run of their own, giving them a 40-37 lead with just over nine minutes to play.

Both teams then turned up the defensive pressure. With only five minutes remaining, the scored remained tight with a 43-42 Cardinals advantage. Ball State went on another 7-0 run, before EMU responded with two straight baskets from Hanley and McKinney. Turnovers proved to be too costly though for the Eagles, as Ball State was able to force three Eagles turnovers in the final 53 seconds of the game to close out a 55-46 victory.

The Eagles hosts another MAC showdown Wednesday Jan. 17, against in-state rival Central Michigan at the Convocation Center. The game will be televised on Comcast Local TV at 7 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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