Women’s basketball (11-7) lost to the Ball State Cardinals (11-8) 76-63 Wednesday night at Alumni Arena.
Sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair led all scorers with 22 points, six assists and four steals in 37 minutes of play but struggled to shoot efficiently, making just seven of her 27 shots.
As a whole, UB shot under 30% from the field, while Ball State shot at a 51% clip. The Bulls scored 24 of their points off turnovers, but after leading for the first four minutes of the game, they were unable to overcome their shooting woes.
Freshman guard Cheyenne McEvans had similar shooting woes, but she finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore center Elea Gaba shot an efficient 5-for-9 from the field with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in just 21 minutes.
Senior forward Oshlynn Brown led the Cardinals with 15 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal. Junior forward Blake Smith also performed well with 14 points, five rebounds and one block.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 6-1 lead and dominated the boards with five offensive rebounds through the first seven minutes, but a late run propelled Ball State to a 14-12 lead. The Cardinals began to heat up in the second quarter, shooting 8-for-13 from the field while UB went just 2-for-12. The Cardinals scored 19 points compared to just nine from the Bulls in the second quarter.
The Cardinals didn’t slow down, scoring 25 third quarter points, allowing them to enter the fourth quarter with an 11 point lead. Despite a late run that pulled the Bulls within three points, the Cardinals were too much to handle, as they pulled away for a 76-63 win.
The Bulls will look to end their two game losing streak when they head to Muncie, IN for a rematch against the Cardinals on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN3.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. She is studying communications with the hopes of being a sideline reporter. In her spare time, she can be found in the gym, watching football or vibing to Mac Miller. Kayla is on Twitter @kaylasterner.
