Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball at Northern Illinois Saturday
January 08, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (6-7; MAC 1-0) at
Northern Illinois (6-7; MAC 0-1)
Saturday • 3 p.m. (CT); 4 p.m. (ET)
Convocation Center (Capacity: 10,000)
DeKalb, Ill.
Radio: WCRD (91.3 FM) - James Rider and Kyle Binder; WERK (104.9 FM) - Jay Garrison
Scouting Ball State: The Cardinals won their Mid-American Conference opener Wednesday night with a 70-55 homecourt victory over Western Michigan . . . With the win, Ball State improved to 6-7 overall and 1-0 in league play . . . Emily Maggert leads the Cardinals with 17.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game . . . Audrey McDonald is adding 11.7 points a contest, while Danielle Gratton is contributing 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Scouting Northern Illinois: The Huskies fell to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference after suffering a 71-66 loss at Toledo Wednesday night . . . Marke Freeman leads the Huskies with 15.6 points per game, while Ebony Ellis is adding 13.4 points and a team high 10.4 rebounds per contest.
The Coaches: Ball State head coach Kelly Packard is in her second season at Ball State . . . Packard's overall record at Ball State is 32-16, while her Mid-American Conference mark is 15-2 . . . Northern Illinois head coach Carol Owens is in her fifth season at NIU with a 58-68 career coaching mark, including a 31-32 MAC record.
The Series: Ball State and Northern Illinois have met 33 times with the Cardinals holding a 20-13 all-time advantage . . . Ball State has won nine of the last 10 meetings and 15 of the last 17 outings . . . In games played at DeKalb, Ill., the all-time series is tied at 8-8 . . . Ball State won the first meeting last season 84-78 at NIU, and the Huskies tallied a 76-72 overtime victory in Muncie.
Packard's Game Day Quote:
"Northern Illinois is a very talented team and their commitment to rebound the basketball is a core strength. They are physical and relentless in their efforts on the glass. We will need to be disciplined in our fundamental technique to position in order to secure a defensive board. Our offensive focus remains the management of the basketball and striving for efficiency."
