Murray State
Ball State
.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
Lady Racers fall to Ball State despite 19-2 run in the second half
11/19/2005 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Ball State took its largest lead of the game when Raechelle Hampton popped in a free throw to give the Cardinals a 54-28 lead with 18:48 left in the second half.
Murray State then took the wheel, going on a 19-2 run over the next 5:13 to break the deficit down to single digits, capping the run when junior post Paige Adlich put in a layup with 13:35 left to get MSU to within 56-47.
BSU scored a basket and Adlich hit two free throws to keep the difference at nine, but Ball State was able to inch away slowly. The Cardinals were able to put the game away by going on a 17-3 run, capped by a jumpshot from Julie DeMuth to give BSU an 85-61 lead with 5:25 remaining.
Junior forward Gerraca Matthews led the Lady Racers with 18 points to go with six rebounds and a team-high three assists. Adlich put in 15 points -- seven of which came in that 19-2 run -- and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior guard Ashley Brooke Hayes had 11 points for MSU.
Junior post Erica Gordian pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, the most rebounds by a Lady Racer in a season-opener since Monika Gadson grabbed 12 against Morgan State on Nov. 19, 1999.
"We played a lot more aggressively (during the 19-2 run)," said MSU head coach Joi Felton. "We started the game very passively for whatever reason and dug ourselves a deep hole. At halftime, we talked about making a comeback through our defense and playing more aggresively on offense. We did that for a while, then stopped and had a letdown. Ball State was able to get a couple of crucial offensive rebounds, then they started their run.
"We need to be able to sustain that. First, we can't let ourselves get down like that, but if we do, we need to sustain that kind of effort."
Ball State was paced by 27 points from Tina Bolte, while DeMuth finished with 21. Hampton had a team-high seven rebounds, while Kelsey Corbin had a game-high 10 assists.
Murray State out-rebounded Ball State 45-44, and the teams were even on the offensive boards at 16 apiece. The statistic that stands out is in three-point shooting, where the Cardinals were 11-for-22 (.500), while the Lady Racers were 3-for-17 (.176).
Murray State continues this season-opening three-game homestand on Tuesday when the Lady Racers host regional rival Southern Illinois. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
