MUNCIE, Ind.—The Ball State University women’s basketball team rode a Porchia to victory on Friday night. Senior guard Porchia Green, that is, as she scored a career-high 28 points to power the host Cardinals past the visiting University of Evansville Purple Aces, 81-78, in overtime at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana.

 

Green, who entered the game averaging just 6.3 points per game, hit 9-of-18 shots, including 4-of-5 from three-point range en route to the 28-point effort. She scored 14 of her 28 points to help the Cardinals overcome an 11-point UE lead midway through the second half, including a key three-point play in overtime which gave the Cardinals a lead they would never lose.

 

“We didn’t do a good enough job of finishing Ball State out tonight,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “We did a great job of grabbing an 11-point lead midway through the second half, but then we let up on both ends of the floor and Porchia Green made us pay.”

 

Evansville built a 61-50 lead with only 8:18 left in regulation on a three-pointer from the left corner by junior guard Amy Gallagher. The Cardinals would respond though with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes, fueled by five points by Green and an assist on a Kiley Jarrett three-pointer, to even the game at 61-61.

 

The two teams would battle back-and-forth for the remaining five minutes of regulation, before UE senior forward Robyn Jennings sent the game into overtime with a game-tying three-pointer from the left wing to tie the game at 73-73 with 29 seconds to play. Ball State would have a chance to win in regulation, but Jarrett’s foul-line jumper came up short, and Gallagher’s desperation heave from 70 feet did so as well at the buzzer.

 

Jennings would give Evansville an early 75-73 lead in overtime on a lay-up 25 seconds into the extra session. The Cardinals would tie the game at 75-75 on a pair of free throws, before UE sophomore guard Ashlee Barrett would hit one of two free throws with 3:33 to play to give UE a 76-75 lead. A minute later, though, Green would give Ball State the lead for good with a old-fashioned three-point play. She would then seal the victory for the Cardinals with an assist on an Emily Maggert lay-up with 54 seconds to play. Evansville would have a chance to tie at the buzzer, but a three-point attempt came up strong, as Ball State ran its home-court winning streak to seven games with the win.

 

The loss for Evansville overshadowed a career night by Jennings, as she scored a career-high 24 points and added seven rebounds on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor. Junior forward Anaris Sickles and senior center Shannon Novosel both chipped in 13 points apiece for UE in the post, while Gallagher added 12 points as well.

 

With the victory, Ball State improves to 3-2 on the year, with all five games coming against post-season teams from 2008. Evansville, meanwhile, slips to 4-3 on the season. The Purple Aces will return home to host Lipscomb University on Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. in the annual Future Purple Aces Fast B.R.E.A.K. (Basketball Reinforcing Education To Area Kids) game. Tuesday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.