(BALL STATE RELEASE)
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Showing courage in the face of difficulties is the Merriam-Webster dictionary's meaning of adversity, which is a great description of what the Ball State women's basketball team faced in the week leading up to today's 68-64 victory at Eastern Michigan.
After having a pair of games postponed over the previous seven days, the Cardinals (6-5, 4-3 MAC) were limited to one coach against the Eagles (8-6, 5-4 MAC) in assistant coach Bri Kulas. Both situations were due to the guidelines and safety protocols of the COVID-19 global pandemic which sidelined ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee, along with assistant coaches Audrey McDonald-Spencer and Roman Tubner.
Things looked even bleaker for the Cardinals early in the opening frame, as EMU had jumped out to a 19-11 lead by the 4:11 mark.
After a scoreless stretch between the two teams, senior Oshlynn Brown did what she does best by pulling down a defensive rebound with four seconds left in the first stanza.
As the Cardinals marched down the court quickly, redshirt-sophomore Anna Clephane, who has stepped up in a big way the last few contests, nailed a 3-pointer as time expired that would change the tune of the ball game.
After Clephane's 3-pointer, Ball State went on a 23-7 scoring spree in the second 10 minutes of play which was led by some key baskets from Agustsdottir. That run helped the Cardinals build a 36-29 edge over the Eagles at intermission.
Ball State continued to set the tone after the half, outscoring Eastern Michigan 20-12 in the third quarter to build its lead to 15 (56-41) heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
But it seems like every time the Cardinals play at the Convocation Center the game becomes a nail biter in the fourth frame.
The Eagles picked up their defense, especially at half court, forcing some unforeseen turnovers from the Cardinals. Eastern Michigan would play that to its advantage, outscoring Ball State 23-12 to make it a one-point (65-64) ball game with 35 seconds on the clock.
After a lengthy timeout, Ball State had possession of the ball. A few passes here and there led sophomore Sydney Freeman to get an open look from 3-point range. She would nail the trey with seven seconds to spare to seal the victory for the Cardinals.
For the game, Clephane and Agustsdottir ended with 16-points apiece. Freeman finished the game with 12 and Brown rounded out the double digit scoring with 11.
The Ball State women's basketball team returns home to Worthen Arena Wednesday when it hosts Mid-American Conference rival Miami University at 7 p.m. ET.
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