Ball State University Athletics
WBB Hosts Illinois State in its Home Opener Friday
November 10, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (0-0, MAC 0-0) vs. Illinois State (0-0))
Friday 7 p.m. (EST)
Worthen Arena (Capacity 11,500)
Muncie, Ind.
Internet: www.ballstatesports.com
Radio: WERK (104.9 FM) - Jay Garrison
WCRD (91.3) - Donnie Kolakowski and Sean Stewart
Scouting Ball State: The Cardinals open its 2011-12 season at home against the Illinois State Redbirds. Ball State is coming off of an 82-50 exhibition win over St. Joseph's College where all of the Cardinals saw action with freshman guard Brittany Carter leading all scorers with 11 points. Ball State also had three players chip in nine points, sophomore guard Brandy Woody, senior captain Suzanne Grossnickle and junior guard Mercedes Miller. Defensively, Woody had nine boards on the night. For the game Ball State outshot St. Joseph's 49.3 to 28.1, while out-rebounding the Pumas 47 to 40. The Cardinals were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference West Division Pre-Season Poll.
Scouting Illinois State: Illinois State scored 21-unanswered points to start the game and never trailed, as the ISU women's basketball team beat Division II Missouri-St. Louis, 92-52, in exhibition play last Tuesday night at Redbird Arena. Junior Candace Sykes led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 total from three-point range and also a 3-for-3 mark at the free throw line. Sykes also grabbed six rebounds and totaled two steals.
The Coaches: Ball State head coach Kelly Packard is in her fourth season at Ball State . . . Packard's overall record at Ball State is 49-47 (.510), while her Mid-American Conference mark is 25-24 . . . Stephanie Glance was named the sixth head women's basketball coach in Illinois State history April 20, 2010 . . .Illinois State returns eight letterwinners from the 2010-11 season . . . The Redbirds were recently picked to finish sixth in the 2011-12 MVC Preseason Poll . . . Illinois State ended last season with an overall record of 24-11.
The Series: The game versus Illinois State is the 10th meeting all time between the two schools. Illinois State leads the all-time series record 5-4. In their last meeting Ball State fell to the Redbirds on the road by a score of 77-51. The last time the Cardinals played Illinois State at home in 2009 they captured an 86-80 victory over the Redbirds at Worthen Arena on Dec. 13. That win marked the first victory for a Mid-American Conference school over Illinois State since the 2006-07 season. Heading into the 2009 contest versus Illinois State the Cardinals had last defeated the Redbirds in 2003.
