INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis Jaguars took on last year’s MAC Champion, the Ball State Cardinals, Sunday at home in The Jungle. The Jaguars fought to keep the battle close, but Ball State managed to hold its lead and eventually won 81-72.
The Cardinals were able to get an early lead over the Jaguars with senior forwards Tessa Towers and Bree Salenbien. In the first quarter, Towers and Salenbien were out-rebounding the Jaguars offensively and defensively, while also scoring big points for their team in the paint. This saw IU Indy down eight points at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Jaguars came back on a huge run, grabbing more defensive rebounds and forcing the Cardinals to turn the ball over.
“We came out a little flat. They were getting a message from the bench that we needed to pick up our pressure. We needed to pick up our energy. Fly around, and be who we are,” assistant coach Mary Evans said of the second quarter pick up after the game, “we were kind of letting Ball State be who they were. I think they took that message and kind of finished the game with that mindset.”
This more aggressive play style in the second quarter was led in part by the twins, former Ball State players Hailey and Olivia Smith. Both picked up multiple rebounds, drove the ball in for layups, and had a combined 10 points in the quarter, bringing the Cardinal’s lead to only three points at halftime.
When they came back from the half, the Cardinals were ready to take back control of the game. Ball State’s big scorers, Towers and Salenbien, knocked down a combined 14 points, including several three-pointers. While IU Indy remained aggressive, opening with a triple from Nevah Foster and three steals in the quarter, the Cardinals kept forcing turnovers, and the gap to the lead widened.
The final minutes of the game saw a massive push from the Jaguars, with Haley Smith leading the charge. Smith dropped two of her three three-point buckets in the final quarter, which saw her at a team-high of 19 points.
“I think obviously [the Smiths] are very familiar with their system and how they play,” said Evans about the twins and their former team, “which is a positive. There is also a negative with that. There may be some nerves, some anxiousness, facing your former coaches and players.”
Despite the drive by Smith at the end, the Cardinals were still able to come out on top over the Jaguars. With IU Indy in foul trouble early in the fourth quarter, Ball State’s free-throwing kept them out of reach from the Jaguars.
“There were some early fouls. We obviously got into some foul trouble early, but it’s a physical game,” Evans stated, “Anytime you play someone who’s won the MAC [Championship], you’re gonna be in a really heated and intense physical game, and I think our young ladies stepped up.”
The Jaguars will be back at home in The Jungle for their next game, playing against the Bradley Braves Saturday, November 15.
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