Hoosier State Today

Redshirt senior Anna Clephane led the Cardinals with 22 points to help propel Ball State past Bowling Green in its Mid-American Conference opener Wednesday night in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals earned an 81-73 victory over the Falcons using gritty defense and an all-around team effort offensively, which included 31 points from BSU's bench.

It came to no surprise that the Cardinals (11-3, 1-0 MAC) league opener against Bowling Green (11-2, 0-1 MAC) tonight would come down to the wire. BSU and BGSU had just come off successful non-conference seasons and were similar statistically heading into this evening's contest. 

Both teams chopped at each other's heels at the start of the game. Bowling Green had the upper hand for the majority of the first quarter and the Cardinals controlled the second frame of action.

Ball State used a well-balanced offense in the second 10 minutes of play, outscoring Bowling Green, 24-14. The end of the first half was highlighted by a 3-pointer at the buzzer from senior Sydney Shafer, as she completed the out of bounds play as time expired to give Ball State the 49-38 edge over Bowling Green at intermission.

After the break, Clephane opened the third frame with a driving layup to give Ball State a comfortable 13-point (41-28) edge over Bowling Green. The Falcons answered quickly with a 14-4 run that would bring them within three (45-42) of the Cardinals at the 5:32 mark.

Another basket from Clephane put Ball State back into cruise control and Ball State would go back up by 12 (58-46) with just 1:42 left in the third quarter. BGSU remained within reach, but BSU managed to take a seven-point (59-52) advantage as the third period expired.

Ball State's largest lead of the game (68-54) came after a layup and free throws from sophomore Ally Becki with 6:52 remaining.

Bowling Green continued to fight back to make it a four-point competition (74-70) with 2:19 left to play.

The final stanza came down to defense, smart plays, along with key baskets, and that's exactly how the Cardinals ended the contest which eventually earned BSU the victory over BGSU tonight.

For the game, Clephane led all players with 22 points while teammate sophomore Alex Richard chipped in 14 points. Becki registered her fourth double-double of the season after a 13-point, 11-rebound performance.

The Ball State women's basketball team continues Mid-American Conference action Saturday at Western Michigan. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. ET start in University Arena. 

Original source can be found here.