Imari Berry scores 22 as No. 7 Louisville overcomes sluggish start to beat Ball State 94-73

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — Imari Berry finished with a season-high 22 points and six rebounds and Tajianna Roberts added 18 points to help No. 7 Louisville pull away from Ball State 94-73 on Thursday.

Berry was 9 of 13 from the field and 4 of 7 on 3-pointers. Zamareya Jones had 12 points and nine assists — with no turnovers — and Mackenly Randolph scored all of her season-high 11 points in the first half, going 5 for 6 from the field.

It was a milestone night for Ball State as Louisville (5-0) became the highest-ranked women's team to play in Muncie.

Mid-American Conference preseason favorite Ball State (1-2) was led by freshman guard Lilli Barnes, who had 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting. She also had seven assists. Zhen Vergburgt added 13 points and Grace Kingery scored 12.

Berry's 3-pointer to close out the first quarter gave Louisville a 22-15 lead, and the Cardinals used that shot to help them overcome a sluggish start. Louisville opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run then extended the halftime lead to 44-17 thanks to a 10 of 16 shooting performance in the quarter.

Ball State looked like it was climbing back into the game when it cut the deficit to 48-39 with 6:49 left in the third quarter. But Louisville methodically rebuilt a double-digit cushion and sealed the victory with a 13-4 spurt that made it 71-52 late in the third.

Long-time Louisville coach Jeff Walz picked up his 520th career win with the victory at the same site he won his first game at Louisville almost exactly 20 years ago.

Louisville: Hosts No. 4 UConn on Sunday.

Ball State: Hosts No. 18 Illinois on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

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