INDIANAPOLIS - IU Indianapolis put together a determined effort on Saturday afternoon inside The Jungle, but the defending MAC Champion Ball State Cardinals pulled away late to claim an 81–72 victory.
Ball State opened strong, using early inside scoring from Tessa Towers to build a 10–5 lead midway through the period. The Jaguars got a spark from
Sydney Bolden, who hit a three-pointer and added an assist to keep IU Indy within reach.
Hailey Smith scored in the paint late in the quarter, but the Cardinals' 9-for-19 shooting helped them take a 21–13 lead after one.
IU Indy's offense settled in, matching Ball State nearly shot-for-shot in a more physical second quarter.
E'Zaria Adams and
Olivia Smith fueled the Jags' momentum with drives to the rim, and
Hailey Smith knocked down four free throws to trim the margin. The Jaguars' defense held the Cardinals to just 13 points in the period, sending the teams into halftime with Ball State up 34–31.
The Cardinals regrouped out of the locker room, hitting three triples and forcing several turnovers to stretch their lead. IU Indy stayed aggressive, getting transition buckets from Bolden and
Nevaeh Foster, but Ball State's Bree Salenbien and Towers combined for 14 in the quarter to push the Cardinals ahead 57–48 heading into the final frame.
The Jaguars made one last push in the closing minutes behind
Hailey Smith, who scored seven of her team-high 19 points in the quarter, including a pair of threes.
Olivia Smith added 13 points and three steals, while Bolden (12 points, 4 assists) and Foster (11 points, 7 rebounds) rounded out a balanced scoring effort. Despite the late surge, Ball State's free-throw shooting and rebounding advantage secured the win.
IU Indy (1–2) shot 36.7 percent from the field and went 9-for-28 from deep while forcing 18 Ball State turnovers. IU Indy had four finish in double digit point with
Hailey Smith leading the way with 19 points and seven boards. Towers (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Salenbien (20 points, 12 rebounds) paced the Cardinals, who improved to 2–0.
IU Indy will next host Bradley on Saturday, Nov. 15 in the Jungle.
