Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State women’s basketball (0-1, 0-0 SBC) faced an early deficit and used a 20-0 run to take the lead, but the Red Wolves came up just short in a 68-66 opening-night setback to Ball State (1-0, 0-0 MAC) at First National Bank Arena.
Crislyn Rose was 8-for-16 from the floor for a team-best 20 points, her fourth career outing with 20-plus points. Zyion Shannon was also in double figures, scoring 12 points all in the second half. Grace Kingery led three Ball State players in double figures with 15 points.
A-State shot 30.6 percent (22-72) from the floor, landing 4-of-29 (14 percent) beyond the arc. The Red Wolves went to the charity stripe 35 times, knocking down 18 (51 percent). Ball State shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47) on the night, 7-of-22 (32 percent) from 3-point range.
Ball State finished with 35 turnovers compared to the Red Wolves’ 15 and A-State had a 26-9 advantage in points off turnovers. Ball State controlled the boards 52-39, but A-State had a 14-7 on the offensive glass.
The Cardinals controlled the first quarter as the Red Wolves were 3-for-20 from the field, but a Marlie Dickerson 3-pointer at the buzzer left A-State facing a 20-9 deficit after the first 10 minutes. Rose scored five of her points in the second quarter to help cut the lead to eight, 29-21, and the Cardinals were slowed to only nine points in the quarter.
Coming out of the halftime break, A-State traded shots with Ball State, but turned up the pressure defensively as the period continued. Across the final six minutes, the Cardinals only made one shot from the field and two free throws, while the Red Wolves stretched a 20-0 run into the fourth quarter, ending the third tied at 44.
The first two minutes of the quarter saw the Red Wolves jump out to an eight-point lead, highlighted by a Shannon layup and free throw for the three-point play. With both teams hitting the bonus in the final four minutes, the Cardinals were able to sink six free throws to tie the game back up. Tied at 58, Ball State landed 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions for a two-score lead, which the Red Wolves were unable to work out of in the final minute.
UP NEXT
The Red Wolves hit the road for a mid-day game at Tarleton State on Saturday, Nov. 7. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. with a stream available on ESPN+ and live stats here.