Wednesday’s Women’s Basketball Results
Ball State 95, Northern Kentucky 64
Central Michigan 68, Butler 59
Vermont 73, Buffalo 55
Notre Dame 85, Akron 58
Wisconsin 90, Bowling Green
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State 95, Northern Kentucky 64
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - Senior Bree Salenbien led all scorers with 20 points in the Cardinals 95-64 dominating win over Northern Kentucky Wednesday night in Worthen Arena.
With the win, Ball State improves to 3-0 on the season while Northern Kentucky falls to 0-3. This marks the third-straight year the Cardinals have started with a 3-0 ledger.
"We talked a lot about taking care of our home court," Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. "We hit shots early which allowed us to get in the press. It was a heck of a win. I am proud of my group we played our tail off and when we play like that good things will happen."
Salenbien, along with tying her career high of 20 points, also pulled down seven rebounds and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Junior Karsyn Norman also reached double digits with 18 points. Newcomer Giorgia Gorini had 11 and Tessa Towers ended the night with 10 points while also tallying eight rebounds.
It was a solid team effort that set the tone early offensively for the Cardinals, along with some help on defense which allowed Ball State to take a staggering 28-10 advantage over the Norse to end the first quarter of play. Seven different Cardinals had two or more points with Towers leading the way after the first frame with eight.
During the second period the Cardinals held the Norse to only three points up until just under the four-minute mark. Ball State continued with its fast-paced style of play allowing players to score in transition while attacking the rim. A Brooke Winchester 3-pointer sealed the 51-23 advantage for Ball State at intermission over the Norse. Norman led Ball State at the half with nine points.
A 3-pointer from Norman at the 3:39 mark of the third frame followed by a layup from Salenbien helped Ball State extend its lead to 31 (69-38).
The on-and-off 30-point deficit throughout the second and third quarters along with Ball State's tight defense was too much for Northern Kentucky to overcome in the final period. For the game, Ball State led the way in almost every statistical category.
All-in-all it was a team effort tonight as the Cardinals had 11 players score three or more points. Ball State's bench totaled 37 points. Ball State moved the ball well which was apparent by its 19 total assists.
Central Michigan 68, Butler 59
Box Score
Postgame recap coming soon.
