MUNCIE, Ind. – Western Michigan women's basketball lost a road battle against the Ball State Cardinals this evening by a final score of 73-67. Tonight's result moves WMU to 14-11 on the campaign, and 8-8 in Mid-American Conference play.
The opening quarter of play featured two offenses that got off on slow starts as the period ended with the score knotted at nine apiece. Four Broncos found the bottom of the net and WMU pulled down 12 rebounds as a group in a first quarter that featured three different ties.
Stanza number two showed each team making a run, as Ball State scored three consecutive buckets early on. The Broncos responded with a score of their own and the two squads traded baskets for about four minutes. WMU then got off on its own 6-0 run in the final minutes of play before the Cardinals threw in a three as the halftime buzzer rang to give themselves a 28-22 edge. The BSU 19-13 second quarter advantage would wind up being the difference in the game as the two teams matched each other's point totals in the first, third, and fourth periods.
Redshirt sophomore
Taylor Williams had a dominant first half, tallying a near double-double with seven points on 3-7 (42.9 percent) from the floor to go with nine rebounds. Williams also notched an assist, steal, and block in the opening 20 minutes. Junior guard
Sydney Shafer added five points, two boards, and a pair of assists through two quarters of play as well.
The 10 minutes following the break was very much similar to the second quarter, with the two teams trading baskets throughout the period.
Taylor Williams took the ball strong to the rack for an and-one, notching yet another double-double at the 5:11 mark of the third. The Broncos ended the quarter on an 8-1 run to bring themselves within six, trailing 48-42.
The fourth quarter yielded near identical results as the third, with the two teams matching each other in scoring with 25 points each. WMU shot 10-18 as a group in the final period, but could not claw their way back under six as the Cardinals knocked down free throws in the game's final stretch. A good comeback effort proved to be too late as the outing ended in favor of BSU.
Taylor Williams had a big evening for Western Michigan in this one, finishing with 16 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks while also notching her eighth double-double performance this season. Junior guard
Sydney Shafer led all scorers with 19 points on 8-13 (61.5 percent) from the field and 3-5 (60 percent) from three-point territory. Sophomore guard
Lauren Ross added 13 points and four boards to round out the Broncos' double-figure efforts.
As a team, Western Michigan connected on 24 of their 57 shot attempts (42.1 percent), while Ball State sank 27-63 from the field (42.9 percent). WMU also pulled down 34 boards, tallied 36 points in the paint, and got out in transition for 10 points. The Bronco reserves also outscored the Cardinal bench by a 29-14 margin.
The Broncos will take one day before returning to their home court for a rematch with the very same Ball State team on Wednesday in Kalamazoo. Tip-off on Feb. 23 inside University Arena is set for 7 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN3.
Wednesday's game will also be WMU's Play 4 Kay game in an effort to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. WMU players and coaches will sport pink on-court accessories, and fans will have the opportunity to honor a loved one who has had a personal battle with the disease. Pink pom-poms will also be given out to each Bronco fan that walks through the door, and fans are encouraged to show their support by wearing pink to the game.
Students get into all WMU home games for free with a valid Bronco ID, and further ticket information can be found at
www.wmubroncos.com/tickets, or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX. We hope to see you all wearing pink on Wednesday in The Zoo!
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