The Cardinals brought a 3-10 record into the contest, yet converted 9 of 18 treys and led most of the night before a crowd of 882 at Worthen Arena.
“Very disappointing loss to open the MAC,” MU coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “You have to give them credit. They outworked us. They came out confident, they came out scrappy, and this is what the MAC’s going to be like 40 minutes every night.”
Courtney Osborn scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half for Miami (8-6), but she was just 5 of 19 from the field. Haley Robertson tossed in a career-high 15 points, and Kirsten Olowinski added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The RedHawks got off a trio of 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds, but couldn’t get anything to fall.
“There are a lot of things we can fix,” Osborn said. “One loss isn’t going to lose us the MAC championship, so to freak out right now is not the best option. But we’ve got to bring the intensity every day in practice. That’s what we’re going to have to do.”
The Cardinals were led by Nathalie Fontaine (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Brittany Carter (15 points, 5 of 9 on treys). BSU earned a 46-34 advantage on the boards and snagged 21 offensive rebounds.
Ball State had been idle since a 58-53 loss to Valparaiso on Dec. 29, and coach Brady Sallee liked the way his players responded during the long layoff.
“We’ve had a lot of time to work on ourselves,” Sallee said. “I thought the kids were ready to play, and we had a chance to start the conference year with a clean slate. That 3-10 record that we came in with didn’t really matter.”
The hosts grabbed a 10-point lead in the opening seven minutes, gaining a strong head of steam in the process.
“There was no question we needed the start that we got,” Sallee said. “We were making shots, and we’re not the greatest shot-making team you’ve ever seen in your life. That definitely gave us some confidence, and our energy stayed where it needed to be the rest of the night.”
Miami misfired on the front end of the bonus twice in the last 2:11, and BSU scored the game’s final six points. Shelbie Justice’s free throw snapped a 59-59 tie with 2:05 remaining, and Fontaine hit a stickback with 23.4 seconds remaining.
The RedHawks had the last possession, called a timeout with 13.5 seconds on the clock and ultimately launched three 3-pointers. Olowinski put up the first two (her first attempt was blocked by Fontaine), and Osborn threw up a desperation 25-footer at the buzzer.
“We practice special situations like this, so we have plays for it,” Olowinski said. “It was designed, it was ran. After she blocked the first one, I got the rebound, and at that point in time, you have no clue what the time is. So I just kind of shot that (second) one up there.”
Said Fantanarosa, “You feel confident with your team and what they could do, but you’ve given them too much momentum and confidence at that point.”
Sallee admitted the final sequence was nerve-wracking, but he noted that his team has been in plenty of close games this season.
“We talked long and hard about how to play that,” Sallee said. “One of my assistants was begging me to foul, but I thought there was too much time. In that amount of time, you’re talking maybe three possessions if you don’t play it correctly. It helps to have a 6-1 long athlete flying across the floor and blocking a shot. That’s not coaching. That’s recruiting.”
MU played without injured Erica Almady and Hannah Robertson, while flu-ridden Kristin Judson was able to gut out 15 minutes of action. Olowinski’s double-double was the 35th of her career, tying her with Monica Niemann for the most in school history.
Haley Robertson was 4 of 6 beyond the arc and Courtney Larson added eight assists for the RedHawks, who have not won at Worthen Arena since Dec. 3, 1998. Miami travels to Western Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
“Their scrappiness and our inability to box out sometimes really let them hang around,” Osborn said. “When you let a team hang around in the MAC, anything can happen.”
Katie Murphy and Shanee’ Jackson both snagged nine rebounds for Ball State. Brandy Woody collected seven points, seven assists and six boards.
“You probably can’t put a number on the Ball State-Miami rivalry, no matter what the sport is,” said Sallee, whose unit travels to Northern Illinois on Sunday afternoon. “But we want to be a part of that, and the only way you’re part of a rivalry is if you win some games.
“It was a typical David vs. Goliath type of game. Somehow, some way, we eked one out tonight.”
About the Author