Chippewas handed third home loss, fall to Ball State 69-66


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Bolingbrook Illinois sophomore Jahari Smith backs down her opponent against Northeastern Nov. 27 in McGuirk Arena.
Staff reporter breaks down the Chippewa women's team 69-66 loss to Ball State on Feb. 3 in McGuirk Arena. Christian Booher

Molly Davis stood to the left of the scoreboard, just beyond the 3-point line, with her hands on her head. 

It was the personification of every emotion that would've been felt by Chippewa fans had they been allowed inside McGuirk Arena: Frustration, anger and disappointment. 

The attempt from Davis, a sophomore guard, at a game-tying 3-pointer came with a Ball State defender draped on her and had no chance. There was no time for talk, as the shot came just before the horn and sealed the Chippewas' fate. CMU fell, 69-66, to the Cardinals on Wednesday night Mid-American Conference basketball in McGuirk Arena. 

"We have to have more balance," coach Heather Oesterle said. "You look at Ball State, they have four players in double figures. We have two and that's not going to win us games."

Key moments

Davis knocked down a triple, the first of her four in the first half, on the game's opening possession. She would account for the Chippewas' first eight, matching the effort of Ball State forward Oshlynn Brown, who scored six of her team's first eight. 

Going into the game, it appeared CMU (10-6, 8-4 MAC) was content allowing Brown to occupy the perimeter unguarded, and her 0-for-8 mark from 3-point range on the season served as fine evidence. However, Brown knocked down her first triple attempt of the game, forcing the Chippewas to acknowledge the threat. 

Davis picked up two first quarter fouls and sat for an extended period of time. Redshirt junior Kalle Martinez, Davis' replacement, grabbed a pair of key offensive rebounds in her absence. CMU was able to use strong shooting to keep the Cardinals (9-5, 7-3) at bay for a majority of the first half, but Brown and fellow forward Annie Rauch were able to cut the lead to five, 39-34, at the break. 

Late in the first half, senior forward Kyra Bussell suffered a shoulder injury and did not return. Oesterle did not have an update on her status after the game.  

Brown opened the second half with a 3-point play. CMU countered with three straight baskets set up by excellent passing from Davis and senior guard Maddy Watters. Davis followed with a 3-point play in transition that left the Cardinal defense reeling. 

Ball State rallied back, however. A 3-pointer from Thelma Dis Agustsdottir cut the lead to three, and a layup from Anna Clephane made it 53-52 CMU with just over nine minutes remaining. A layup from senior guard Micaela Kelly pushed the lead to three, but an ensuing layup followed by a steal from Clephane that led to a bucket pushed the advantage in favor of Ball State, 56-55, with 6:40 remaining. 

"I thought we passed up some open shots and ended up turning it over," Oesterle said. "I had to go small when (junior forward) Jahari (Smith) got in foul trouble. ...With them having Oshlynn Brown, it's a tough matchup for us."

Ball State was able to take a two-point lead into the game's final two minutes. Kelly tied the game with a floater, and Brown split a pair of free throws to give the Cardinals a one-point lead. The Cardinals extended their lead to three points with free throws, and Davis' well-contested game tying attempt was well short. 

Impact players

Davis led the Chippewas with 24 points. Kelly added 20 while redshirt sophomore Annika Weekes had seven and led CMU with eight rebounds. 

"(Davis) had a really good night," Oesterle said. 

Brown led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds while also chipping in six assists. DisAgustsdottir added 10 while Clephane scored 14. Cardinal point guard Sydney Freeman scored 12 and dished out six assists. 

Up next

CMU will travel to Kalamazoo to play Western Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday in Read Fieldhouse. The Chippewas earned a 82-71 win on Dec. 9 in McGuirk Arena. 

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