Ball State University Athletics
WBB Hosts Oakland City In Exhibition Game Tuesday
November 03, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Ball State vs. Oakland City
Exhibition Game
Worthen Arena (Capacity 11,500)
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 at 7 p.m. (EST)
Muncie, Ind.
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The Cardinals Nest
-The Ball State women's basketball team will begin the 2014-15 season with an exhibition game against Oakland City. The Cardinals defeated the Lady Oaks for the third straight season last year in Worthen Arena by a score of 109-58, Oct. 30. Five Ball State women's basketball players finished in double figures, led by Nathalie Fontaine's 24 points. The Cardinals return Jill Morrison who scored 17 points which included 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Renee Bennette finished with 14 points. Defensively, Ball State outrebounded Oakland City 53-to-27 which plus tallied 15 steals.
-Oakland City ended its 2013-14 season with an overall record of 10-14 and will be coached by Terry Enlow, who is in her first season with the Lady Oaks. Oakland City lost its top two scorers from last season, Lyndi Tedder (15.8 ppg) and Chelsea Jones (11.4 ppg). Ball State ended the 2013-14 season with an 18-17 overall mark and a 9-9 Mid-American Conference ledger. The Cardinals are led by junior Nathalie Fontaine, who led the Cardinals in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (6.5). Senior Shelbie Justice also returns as a double figure scorer for Ball State after averaging 10.6 points per contest last season.
2013-14 RECAP: After a thrilling run to the 2014 MAC Tournament Championship Game, Ball State was extended an at-large invitation to play in the 64-team Women's National Invitation Tournament. The Cardinals became postseason eligible by winning seven of their final eight games en route to advancing to the MAC Tournament Championship Game for the first time since winning it all in 2009. In the semifinals of the MAC Tournament, Ball State scored a thrilling 73-55 win over 25th-ranked Bowling Green. The Cardinals then lost to No. 3 seed Akron, 79-68, in the title game. Sallee, who completed his second season at Ball State in 2013-14, became only the second coach in program history to take the Cardinals to back-to-back WNITs. The last time it happened was 2001-02 and 2002-03 under former head coach Tracy Roller.
Fontaine Pre-Season All-MAC; WBB Picked Second: For the second straight season, the Ball State women's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division Preseason Poll, while junior Nathalie Fontaine was named to the All-MAC West Division Preseason Team. Fontaine, a two-time All-MAC Second Team honoree and preseason All-MAC recipient, averaged a team-best 16.4 points per game last season while collecting 6.5 rebounds per contest. She starts her junior campaign off with 997 career points and became only the second player in program history to reach 900 points as a sophomore. Tamara Bowie (1999-2000) was the first to accomplish the feat with 943. Fontaine also averaged the most points in the MAC Tournament for the Cardinals, at 15.8, while adding 6.8 rebounds per contest. Fontaine has scored in double digits 56 times out of 66 career games. She has also managed 12 career 20-point performances, along with one 30-point showing.
Next Game: Ball State hosts Big Ten foe Purdue for its 2014-15 season and home opener, Nov. 14 in Worthen Arena at 7 p.m. This marks the first time the Cardinals have hosted a Big Ten opponent to start the season since 2010-11 when Ball State hosted Indiana, which resulted in an 81-66 loss. This also marks the second-straight year the Cardinals have opened up against the Boilermakers. On Nov. 10, 2013, Ball State suffered a 63-57 loss in West Lafayette, Ind.
