KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan University women's basketball team started strong but couldn't keep up with the Ball State Cardinals offense in a 78-57.

The Broncos took an early lead in the first quarter on Saturday afternoon over the current reigning Mid-American Conference champions. WMU wasn't able to stop Ball State from overtaking the Brown and Gold in the second quarter, leading to the 78-57 final. Sophomore guard Kailey Starks was Western Michigan's top point producer for the third game in a row, scoring 19 while adding three rebounds and two steals.

The Broncos got off to a hot start at University Arena, scoring 13 points in under three minutes. WMU held its largest lead of the game twice with a 12-point advantage at the 7:02 and 5:00 minute marks. But the Cardinals put together a 14-2 scoring drive in the last four and a half minutes of the first to tie up the game.

The Brown and Gold briefly regained the lead with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Alli Harness 30 seconds into the quarter. But Western Michigan didn't make another field goal for the rest of the first half, only adding four points from the line, all from Harness. The Broncos headed into their locker room trailing by 12 with 20 minutes left to play.

WMU put together its best quarter of the afternoon in the third. The Brown and Gold went 7-of-15 from the floor for 46.7% while also making half of their three's. Two back-to-back five-point runs put Western Michigan back within seven points with 6:34 to go in the third. It was a back-and-forth scoring game from there as the Broncos added nine more points. Ball State ended the quarter on a 10-7 scoring advantage as WMU faced a 14-point deficit in the final quarter.

The teams returned to back-and-forth scoring to begin the fourth. But the Cardinals put together a seven-point run with just over five minutes to go, making it a 22-point game. The Brown and Gold got within 16 in the final three minutes. But only four points after that while Ball State made nine kept the game in the Cardinals favor.

Along with Starks, two other Western Michigan players ended in double figures for the Broncos. Redshirt senior forward De'Ahna Richardson added 13 points while leading the team in rebounds with six boards. While Harness made it to an even 10, going 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Alli Carlson matched her career high in assists, helping on eight buckets while senior forward Mary Clare Brusek added WMU's only block of the game.

The Brown and Gold return to the road next week for a stop in DeKalb, Ill. Western Michigan will play its final game as conference opponents in the Convocation Center against Northern Illinois. Tip-off versus the Huskies is set for 7:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 21.