MUNCIE, Ind. (Interstat) — Grace Kingery scored 23 points, including 18 on six 3-pointers in the first half, to lead Ball State to a dominant 83-48 victory over Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at Worthen Arena.

The Cardinals, improving to 18-5 overall and solidifying their position in the MAC standings, used a devastating 26-8 second-quarter run to turn a competitive game into a rout, leading 43-21 at halftime. The Huskies, who fell to 4-18, could not recover from Ball State’s overwhelming surge.

The most critical stretch of the game began late in the first quarter and extended throughout the second. With Ball State leading 17-15, the Cardinals closed the opening period with a defensive stand and then unleashed a 26-6 run over the next ten minutes. Kingery was the catalyst, hitting four of her 3-pointers during this span. The Ball State defense was equally transformative, forcing nine Northern Illinois turnovers in the second quarter alone, which they converted into 12 points. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Cardinals had more than doubled the Huskies’ score, holding Northern Illinois to just 8 points in the period on 3-of-14 shooting.

Ball State’s offensive efficiency was staggering. The Cardinals shot 58.5% from the field for the game and 52.9% from 3-point range. They assisted on 14 of their 31 made field goals and scored 40 points in the paint. Defensively, they harassed Northern Illinois into 17 turnovers, registering 14 steals, and limited the Huskies to 31.3% shooting overall.

Kingery, a 5-foot-11 guard from North Ridgeville, Ohio, needed only 23 minutes to pour in her game-high 23 points, going 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. She was complemented by forward Tessa Towers, who added 12 points, three assists and a block in 17 minutes. Point guard Karsyn Norman of Bedford, Indiana, directed the offense with five assists and seven points.

For Northern Illinois, Nevaeh Wingate scored 12 points and Sa’Mahn Johnson added 10, but the Huskies struggled to generate consistent offense against Ball State’s pressure. Northern Illinois turned the ball over on 25.4% of its possessions.

Ball State continued its onslaught in the third quarter, outscoring the Huskies 31-10 to extend its lead to 74-31. The Cardinals shot 70% from the field in the period. Northern Illinois showed resilience in the final quarter, outscoring Ball State’s reserves 17-9, but the outcome was long decided.

The victory was Ball State’s second this season over Northern Illinois, having won 74-56 in DeKalb on Jan. 3. The Cardinals have now won three straight games and seven of their last eight. Northern Illinois has lost three consecutive contests.

Ball State next travels to face Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. Northern Illinois returns home to host Massachusetts on Feb. 10.

The announced attendance at Worthen Arena was 1,418.