Ball State University Athletics
WBB Celebrates Senior Night Against NIU Wednesday
March 01, 2016 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals Nest
- The Ball State women's basketball team hosts Northern Illinois for its last regular season game of the year. The Cardinals are 19-8 overall and 11-5 in Mid-American Conference action and have already clinched a first-round bye to the 2016 MAC Tournament. Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Cardinals are currently in third place in the MAC standings. The Huskies are currently the 10th seed with an overall record of 11-16 and a 4-12 league mark. Ball State will also honor its seniors, Nathalie Fontaine and Shelby Merder prior to tonight's tipoff. The Cardinals won their first meeting against the Huskies by a score of 73-57 in DeKalb, Ill., Feb. 17.
- Sophomore forward Moriah Monaco scored a career high 28 points off of 8-of-15 shooting from the 3-point line in the Cardinals 67-63 win at Eastern Michigan last Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center. The eight 3's were a career best and tied for second-highest single-game total in program history. Cardinals' assistant Audrey McDonald-Spencer holds the record with nine. Senior guard Nathalie Fontaine was the only other Ball State player to score in double figures after scoring 14 points while pulling down 12 rebounds for her 33rd double-double of her career. After Saturday's performance, Fontaine has 2,069 and is 23 points shy of becoming Ball State's women's basketball all-time leading scorer.
-The last time Ball State went 10-2 at home was in 2006-07 under former head women's basketball coach Tracy Roller. That season the Cardinals went 10-1 in John E. Worthen Arena with Ball State's only loss coming against Ohio (66-77) on Jan. 27, 2007. Ball State also posted a 14-1 mark at home in 2008-09 under former head coach Kelly Packard with the only loss coming against Temple.
- Head coach Brady Sallee emphasizes how important points in the paint are to him and the Cardinals have listened this season. Ball State has outscored all of their opponents in the paint but seven this season. Ball State vs. Charlotte (30-to-8), Ball State vs. Western Kentucky (30-to-14), Ball State vs. Austin Peay (30-to-18), Ball State vs. Florida (42-to-30), Ball State vs. UMass (30-to-16), Ball State vs. Ohio Valley (62-to-10), Ball State vs. Butler (26-to-12), Ball State vs. Lipscomb (30-to-14), Ball State vs. Purdue (32-fo-26), Ball State vs. Evansville (32-to-8), Ball State vs. Saint Louis (22-to-24), Ball State vs. Toledo (28-to-28), Ball State vs. Ohio (20-to-24), Ball State vs. Miami (34-to-16), Ball State vs. Buffalo (32-to-16), Ball State vs. Bowling Green (24-to-18), Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan (34-to-22), Ball State vs. Western Michigan (36-to-26), Ball State vs. Ohio (30-to-18), Ball State vs. Akron (36-to-30), Ball State vs. Buffalo (26-to-24), Ball State vs. Central Michigan (34-to-26), Ball State vs. Kent State (28-to-12); Ball State vs. Northen Illinois (34-to-18); Ball State vs. Western Michigan (24-to-24); Ball State vs. Central Michigan (32-to-38) and Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan (14-to-14).
