MAC Sports Blog by VanDelay Sports

After shocking the world of women’s college basketball on Sunday night, the #12 seed Ball State Lady Cardinals are back in action tonight as they face the #4 seed Iowa State Cyclones. After an impressive 71-55 win over #5 Tennessee, Ball State looks to continue the magic and advance to the 2009 Women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round. #12 Ball State (26-8) and #4 Iowa State (25-8) will tip-off around 9:30 pm ET tonight in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As always, fans can look to VanDelay Sports for a great selection of Ball State clothing & merchandise and to DFN Sports partner sites for Ball State hats, gear and more!

The world of women’s college basketball was stunned on Sunday night, and a MAC team was responsible for the headlines. The Ball State Lady Cardinals, a #12 seed in the 2009 Women’s NCAA Tournament, knocked off Pat Summit’s Tennessee Lady Vols in the first round of the Tournament. After a close first half where Ball State led Tennessee 29-28 at the half, the Lady Cardinals dominated the Lady Vols outscoring them 42-27 resulting in an ending that everyone knew was coming. Tennessee cut the Ball State lead to 8 in the final minutes of the game, but Ball State pulled away to ensure an easy 71-55 victory.

The win holds tremendous significance in the world of women’s college basketball. First of all, Pat Summit’s Tennessee teams had never lost before the Sweet 16. Secondly, the Vols were the defending 2-time National Champions. As a result of the loss, this marks the first time a defending National Champion has lost a first round game in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Next up for the Ball State Lady Cardinals (26-8) will be the #4 seed Iowa State Cyclones, as the two will face off on Tuesday night at 9:30 pm ET.