Ball State University Athletics
WBB Opens 2015-16 Season At Charlotte Friday
November 11, 2015 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals Nest
- The Ball State women's basketball team travels to Charlotte for its 2015-16 season opener, Friday in Halton Arena at 5:30 p.m. Ball State and Charlotte have faced each other only twice in program history. The last time Ball State took on Charlotte was in 2014-15 at home in Worthen Arena resulting in a 76-66 victory for the Cardinals. Ball State also defeated Charlotte in 2006-07 at the SPC Holiday Classic by a score of 82-72. This will be the first time the Cardinals have played at Halton Arena.
- Both teams started their seasons off with exhibition games. For the third straight season, the Ball State women's basketball team eclipsed the 100-point mark in its 151-72 exhibition game victory over Urbana Nov. 3 in Worthen Arena. Seven women's basketball players finished with double figures, led by senior guard Nathalie Fontaine and freshman forward Lucia Fernandez with 24 points. Charlotte got their 2015-16 season underway Friday, Nov. 6 when the 49ers defeated Saint Leo, 84-47, in exhibition action. Freshman Grace Hunter paced the 49ers with 17 points in her collegiate debut coming off the bench.
- The Cardinals have not won their season opener since the 2006-07 sea- son, under the direction of Tracy Roller, when Ball State earned a 62-58 victory at Big Ten foe Michigan, Nov. 13, 2006.
- Ball State is 1-1 when it plays on Nov. 13. The last time the Cardinals played on this date resulted in a 87-67 loss at Michigan in 2009-10. Ball State's last win on this date resulted in a 62-58 win at Michigan in 2006-07.
• Fontaine starts her senior campaign off sixth on Ball State women's basketball all-time scoring list with 1,506 points and has pulled down 659 career rebounds, which is good for 11th all-time. She reached the 1,000 point club faster than any player in Ball State history except for Hall of Famer TamaraBowie. Fontaine needs eight points to move her up to fifth all-time in front of former Cardinal Emma Jones (1984-87).
• After scoring in double figures in 29 of Ball State's 31 games last season, senior forward Nathalie Fontaine has now scored in double digits 85 times out of 97 total games in her career.
• Nathalie Fontaine has 659 rebounds for her career. She is now in 11th place all-time at Ball State passing former women's basketball playerJaimie Lehotsky (1994-97). Fontaine needs two to reach 663 rebounds to move her up to 10th all-time in front of former Cardinal Kate Endress (2002-05).
• Junior Nathalie Fontaine earned her ninth double-double of the 2014-15 season after scoring 15 points and pulling 10 rebounds against Middle Tennessee (March 19). Fontaine now has 18 double-doubles in her career.
• For the third straight season, the Ball State women's basketball team has been picked second in the Mid-American Conference West Division Preseason Poll, while senior Nathalie Fontaine and junior Jill Morrisonwere named to the All-MAC West Division Preseason Team, which was announced by the league office.
• Ball State head women's basketball coach Brady Sallee was given a contract extension through the 2019-20 season at the end of last season. This marks the second time in three years that Sallee has been awarded a contract extension. Sallee, who begins his fourth season at Ball State, becomes the only head coach in program history to take the Cardinals to three straight Women's National Invitation postseason tournaments. In addition, Sallee is only the second head coach in program history to have three consecutive winning seasons -- 17-16 (2012-13), 18-17 (2013-14) and 17-14 (2014-15). The last time it happened was from 2004-07 under former head coach Tracy Roller. Sallee has amassed a 188-142 career coaching record, including his eight years as the head basketball coach at Eastern Illinois.
• This is the 42nd season in Ball State women's basketball history. The Cardinals are 480-608 (.441) and 246-313 (.440) in the Mid-American Conference.
