Cardinals Surge Past Falcons, 77-52

Saturday, February 14

Muncie, IN

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

9-15, 2-11MAC

Ball State

13-10, 9-3MAC

Bowling Green

Ball State

Miriam Justinger v Ohio - Larry Clapper photo

Miriam Justinger had 9 points, 5 rebounds & 4 assists at Ball State

Photo by: Larry Clapper

February 14, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Late first-half run lifts BSU past BG

By: MUNCIE, Ind. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Host Ball State University used a late first-half run to build a double-digit lead, and the Cardinals held off every comeback attempt by the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14). BSU downed the Falcons, 77-52, in Mid-American Conference action at Worthen Arena.

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Shelbie Justice scored 21 points for Ball State (13-10, 9-3 MAC), pacing four players in double figures. Justice made 7-of-10 shots from the field, including three of her four three-point field-goal attempts.

For the Falcons (9-15, 2-11 MAC), senior Deborah Hoekstra led the way with 17 points, while freshman Rachel Myers scored 11. Myers knocked down three of BGSU's seven successful three-pointers, while Hoekstra was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, setting career bests in shots made and attempted from the stripe.

As a team, the Falcons -- ranked fifth in the nation in free-throw percentage entering the weekend -- made 17-of-19 shots from the line, good for an 89.5% success rate.

The Falcons fell behind by a 16-6 count, but BGSU then scored eight-straight points, getting within two points on a triple by Hoekstra. The Cards countered with a layup, but a three-pointer by junior Miriam Justinger cut BG's deficit to just one point, 18-17, with just over nine minutes left in the first half.

But, the Cardinals went on a 22-5 run over the remainder of the half. The hosts scored five-straight points, and after a Hoekstra jumper at the 7:49 mark, BSU proceeded to score the next 13 points, including back-to-back three-pointers by Jill Morrison. When the second of those shots went through the net, Ball State had a 36-19 lead with just under 90 seconds left in the half.

BG trailed by 17, 40-23, at the intermission, and the Falcons got as close as 14 points on two occasions in the second period. But, each time, Justice responded with a layup, including a three-point play with 9:18 remaining. Her second such layup, with exactly seven minutes to go, began a 12-0 run that increased the BSU lead to 73-47.

The Cardinals shot 46.9% for the game, and BSU went 9-of-20 (55.0%) from three-point land, with Justice and Morrison each hitting three treys. Nathalie Fontaine had 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the hosts, while Morrison added 11 points and Renee Bennett 10.

Justinger scored nine points for the Falcons, adding five rebounds and four assists. She tied Hoekstra for the team rebounding lead, and tied for game honors in the assists department.

The Cardinals scored the first four points of the game, before Myers took an inbounds pass from sophomore Rachel Konieczki and knocked down her first three-pointer of the game.

The home team, however, went on a 10-0 run, capped by a five-point possession. After a steal near midcourt, Candyce Ussery converted an 'and-one' layup in transition. Her free-throw attempt was no good, but the Cards got the rebound, and Ussery found Moriah Monaco for a three-pointer, giving the hosts a 14-3 lead.

Myers took a Justinger pass and hit her second trey of the day, but Bennett scored inside for a 16-6 BSU lead with eight minutes elapsed.

Hoekstra came up with a steal that led to a Justinger pull-up jumper in traffic, however, and Justinger found freshman Haley Puk in the left corner on the next possession. Puk's corner three made it a 16-11 game, and after the Falcons got another defensive stop, redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick's 'extra pass' resulted in a Hoekstra trey from the same spot. BG trailed, 16-14, with 10:22 left before halftime.

A layup doubled the Cardinals' lead, but Myers hit Justinger for another triple, and the Falcons were down by a single points, 18-17, with 9:10 remaining in the period.

A BG foul with just one second left on the shot clock bailed out the Cardinals on the next possession, though, and Fontaine hit a pair of free throws. After a BG miss, Monaco's three from the top of the key gave Ball State a 23-17 lead.

Hoekstra hit a right-side jumper, but the Cardinals countered with a jumper of their own, then a Justice three for a 28-19 lead.

Fontaine scored inside, and Morrison hit a three-pointer in transition. Then, she got open for another triple two minutes later, giving BSU a 36-19 lead.

Hoekstra hit a jumper, and the senior was fouled on a drive with 8.9 seconds left in the half, making two tosses to cut BG's deficit to 40-23 at the break.

The Falcons got layups by Konieczki and Hoekstra in the first few minutes of the second period. Konieczki faked a three-point try, then drove the right baseline for a layup, and Hoekstra hit an 'and-one' layup at the 16:55 mark. Off of a Konieczki pass, Puk hit her second three-pointer of the game, cutting BG's deficit to 45-30, but Justice answered with a trey of her own.

Hoekstra scored BG's next four points, all at the free-throw line, and Myers made a long-distance shot with 11:51 to go. Justice answered with a jumper, but Justinger stole a BSU inbounds pass and headed downcourt for a fast-break layup. After another BG steal, Justinger was fouled on a layup try and hit both charity tosses. The Falcons trailed by 14, 55-41, and the Falcons got the ball back as Morrison missed a three-point try midway through the period.

The Falcons' next possession saw BG display some solid passing, but a three-point try did not drop, and Justice converted a three-point play at the other end. Kirkpatrick was fouled and hit two free throws, but Morrison made a long three-pointer.

As that shot went through the hoop, Hoekstra was fouled away from the ball, and the senior hit a pair of shots from the stripe with 8:16 remaining. BG got the ball back, and Myers was flattened during a scramble for a rebound. Myers got up, went to the line and made a pair of shots to make it a 61-47 game with 7:15 remaining. But, a Justice layup began a 12-0 run that gave the Cardinals a 73-47 lead with under three minutes to go.

Puk had seven points off the bench, going 2-of-4 from three-point range, while Kirkpatrick scored four points and Konieczki and freshman Sarah Baer two apiece.

BGSU is now idle until next Saturday (Feb. 21), when the Falcons host Kent State University as the second half of a hoops doubleheader at the Stroh Center. Tipoff for the BGSU-KSU game is 5:00 p.m.