The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team (4-6, 1-2 MAC) hosted Ball State (9-5, 2-2 MAC) inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center last Wednesday which resulted in a 73-83 loss to the Cardinals.
With the loss, the Eagles now fall to 4-6 on the season as Ball State improves to 9-5.
Wednesday’s matchup marked the 86th all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Cardinals. Eastern still leads the all-time series, 45-41.
The Eagles struggled early on, falling behind 9-2 within the first three minutes. Eastern Michigan finished the first quarter behind Ball State, 25-13.
The underwhelming performance continued into the second quarter. The Cardinals controlled the tempo of the third quarter, draining a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cardinals a 50-34 lead over the Eagles going into halftime.
Entering the second-half, the Eagles were efficient under the basket, scoring 10 of their 12 points in the paint. The Eagles’ efforts inside were not enough to slow the Cardinals. The deficit would continue to grow into a 64-46 score line heading into the fourth quarter.
An 8-0 scoring run from Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 68-56 with a little under 7-minutes left to play in the contest. The Eagles would continue to fight, but it wasn't enough. The Ball State Cardinals claimed victory over the Eagles in a 83-73 win at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Redshirt senior Areanna Combs recorded a team-high 23 points and five assists. With the 23-point performance, Combs is now just eight points away from achieving the 1,000-point mark.
Redshirt sophomore Ce’Nara Skanes added 16 points, shooting 70% from the floor and redshirt senior Danielle Rainey added 12 points with a trio of three-pointers.
In a post-game press conference held by EMU athletics, Head Coach Fred Castro shared his thoughts about the loss and the performance of the Eagles against Ball State.
“I give Ball State a lot of credit, they were incredibly sharp, they were prepared and ready to go and it showed from the jump” Coach Castro said. “It came down to effort and Ball State played harder than us,” he added.
Coach Castro also shared his thoughts on the play of Areanna Combs.
“She did a great job of leading and trying to keep our team right, on the floor she was all over the place…the problem is that she can’t be everywhere,” Castro said. “We just need more consistency, especially when we make a run,” he added.
Next up Eastern Michigan travels to Northeast Ohio to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University on Saturday, Jan. 15. Tip-off inside the M.A.C. Center is set for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.
For more information on the Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team, you can visit EMUEagles.com.
