by OXFORD, Ohio- The Ball State Cardinals traveled to Oxford to face the second-place Miami (OH) RedHawks. Ball State came up just short of the win in a 68-64 loss to the RedHawks.
The Cardinals came into this game winning their last seven straight games. Ball State sat on top of the MAC with Miami just half a game back in the Mid American standings.
Defense winning games
Both teams played defense the way two top teams should play. Miami led the Cardinals 27-24 at the half with shooting totals lower than their averages. Ball State shot 32% while Miami shot 38% from the field in the opening half.
The box score lit up with defensive numbers for both sides. Both Miami and Ball State forced misses and turnovers at a very high rate.
The Cardinals stole the ball from Miami 13 times. Karsyn Norman recorded two, Grace Kingery and Bree Salenbien had four, and Aniss Tagayi stole the ball three times. The blocks came in bunches from Ball State as well. The Cards blocked seven total shots. Grace Kingery, Zhen Berburgt, and Alba Caballero each had a steal while Salenbien and Tagayi stole the ball twice.
Both teams turned the ball over 20 or more times. Ball State forced 20 turnovers, but they gave it away 22 times themselves.
Tessa Towers and Grace Kingery. That’s the note.
Towers held up the Cards at the offensive end in the first half, but it wasn’t her inside game doing the damage. It was her mid range shot that Miami couldn’t stop. She made six of her ten shots for 12 first half points and added five rebounds to her line.
Towers did what she could about keeping the Cards in the game. She finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. She made both of her free throws and played solid defense against a very solid player in Ilse de Vries. The main ways de Vries scored was from her extended shots from three-point range or long twos.
GraceKingery also played a great game against the RedHawks. Kingery played a mix of great defense and offensive play that kept the ball moving. Kingery finished the game with 19 points on eight for 12 shooting, seven total rebounds and four steals showing off some defensive flash.
MAC game of the year
Ball State at Miami (OH) definitely did not disappoint.
Regardless of what the Cardinals tried, they couldn’t subdue the Tamar Singer and Miami. Singer finished the game with 25 points, three assists, and four rebounds. She made five of her nine attempts from outside killing the Cardinals from outside at a high rate.
Between the defense, the scoring outputs, the physicality, great matchups on the floor, and great coaching both ways, this game should be considered for one of the best games of this MAC season. When the two top teams play a game with multiple lead changes and a two-score finish, it needs to be recognized.
Next up
The Cardinals face Akron (7-20) at home for their next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to hopefully bounce back after the loss that swung the Cards into second place.
