MUNCIE, Ind. – Butler outscored Ball State 19-15 in the fourth quarter, but the comeback would fall short allowing the Cardinals to remain undefeated (6-0).
Whitney Jennings led all players with 26 points. With the loss Butler moves to 4-4 overall.
Jennings hit nine of her 21 attempts against Ball State to net 26 points. She hit five 3-point field goals and added five assists and three steals to her stat line.
Kristen Spolyar came up with 13 points off the BU bench and post presence
Tori Schickel would end the contest with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Ball State was led by point guard Carmen Grande who ended the game with 15 points, nine assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Moriah Monaco was the team leader in points with 23 and senior Frannie Frazier would add 17.
The first quarter was action packed with nine lead changes and two ties. Each team shot over 50 percent from the field, yet Ball State would earn a 32-27 advantage after the first 10 minutes.
The game would shift in the second quarter with Schickel picking up her third personal foul at the midway point. Schickel, Jennings and Spolyar would all end the game with four personal fouls.
Michelle Weaver would foul out late in the fourth with her fifth personal.
BSU went 24-for-28 from the charity stripe and shot 60 percent (9-15) from 3-point land. Grande was nearly automatic from the line hitting nine of her 10 attempts.
Grande would lead the charge early, but the scoring load would land on Monaco in the third quarter. The all-conference forward scored the first seven points of the second half which would push the Ball State lead to 21 points. Jennings would break up the scoring spree with a 3-pointer and the quarter would eventually come to a close with Jennings hitting a last second jumper.
Ball State would score the first two points of the fourth quarter, but momentum would shift following a full court press from Butler. BU cut the deficit to just eight points with 5:13 to play after going on a 12-2 scoring run.
The Bulldogs got within six points with 1:13 to play, but they simply ran out of time. Ball State hit six free throws in crunch time to hold on and secure their sixth win of the season.
