Ball State University
Central Michigan
Women's Basketball Plays At MAC Leader CMU Wednesday
February 27, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Game #27: Ball State at Central Michigan
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Television: ESPN3
Listen: Muncie Sports Station 102.9 FM/1340 AM
Live Stats: Ball State at Central Michigan
Social Media: @BallStateWBB, @BallStateSports, #ChirpChirp
Game Notes: Ball State | Central Michigan
- The Ball State women's basketball team will face the top team in the Mid-American Conference when it travels to Central Michigan Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tipoff in McGuirk Arena. The Cardinals opened league action at home against the Chippewas earlier this season losing 69-65 in Worthen Arena on Dec. 30. Ball State looks to extend its win streak to six at CMU.
- Ball State is three games away from tying the programs record for most wins in a season. In 2008-09, the Cardinals went 26-9 under the direction of former head coach Kelly Packard. Current assistant coach, Audrey McDonald-Spencer was the starting guard for that team.
- Ball State's 23-4 record is the best start in program history. Currently, their are only seven Division I women's basketball programs in the country that have suffered only four losses.
- Ball State finished non-conference play with an 11-0 record and was one of only seven teams nationally to accomplish that goal. The Cardinals were also only one of two non Power 5 teams on that list. Ball State has received votes in both the USA Today Coaches and AP Top 25 polls this season.
- Power 5 conference wins over - Vanderbilt (88-79) and Purdue (66-60). Along with wins over Big East opponent Butler (87-75) and Conference USA Western Kentucky (93-81).
- Ball State has scored at least 80-plus points in 17 out of its 27 games.
- Ball State ranks 36th nationally in the latest RPI which is the third highest ranking of any team in the Mid-American Conference.
- Ball State has four wins over top 100 RPI Teams - Western Kentucky (41), Purdue (56), Toledo (63), and Miami (84).
- Junior guard Carmen Grande ranks second nationally in assists per game (9.4 apg) and second in total assists (255). She currently has 657 career assists and became the program's all-time assists leader at Western Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 10. Grande is currently 10th on the MAC all-time assists list. The record is 810 held by Marti Heckman of Ohio (1983-86).
- The 11 straight non-conference wins marked the second largest win streak in program history (12 in 2008-09 which included win over Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament).
- Senior forward Moriah Monaco has scored 78 times in double figures over her career and is 113 points away from moving up to fifth on the program's all-time scoring list.
- Head Coach Brady Sallee currently sits at 118 wins at Ball State and needs one to become the programs all-time winningest coach. Tracy Roller holds the record at 118-72 from 2001-08.
- Today's game against Central Michigan will mark the 76th time the teams have met, with the Chippewas leading the all-time series record, 39-37. Ball State split with Central Michigan in its series last season, winning 81-73 in Worthen Arena on Feb. 25 and then fell to the Chippewas by a score of 101-92 in Mount Pleasant on Jan. 11. Ball State dropped its first meeting this season against CMU 69-65 on Dec. 30 in Worthen Arena. From 1996-present the Cardinals own a 29-13 record over the Chippewas. Ball State's largest win streak against Central Michigan was 11 from 2000 thru 2006. In 2014-15, the Cardinals swept the series ove the Chippewas winning at home, 73-64 on Feb. 18 and then clinched the MAC West Division title with an 85-69 win at Central Michigan on March 4.
- Central Michigan is paced by Tinara Moore, who averages 19.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg. Behind Moore is Presley Hudson who is currently averaging 18.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg. The Chippewas have three more players scoring double figures each game, Reyna Frost (14.3 ppg), Cassie Breen (12.3 ppg) and Micaela Kelly (10.6 ppg).
- The Chippewas are led by head coach Sue Guevara who is in her 11th season at Central Michigan. Guevara currently owns a 198-146 record at CMU. She was an assistant coach at Ball State in 1985-86.
- Ball State has earned a first round bye to the upcoming 2018 MAC Tournament in Cleveland with today's victory. This marks the fifth time under sixth year head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals have earned their ticket straight to Cleveland.
- The win over Tennessee State Nov. 22 gave head coach Brady Sallee his 100th win at Ball State. Sallee became only the second head coach in program history to accomplish that feat, quicker than Tracy Roller did from 2001-08. Roller ended her tenure at Ball State with an 118-73 overall mark.
- With the win over Purdue, sixth year head coach Brady Sallee has now defeated four Power 5 conference schools during his tenure at Ball State; Minnesota (54-51, 2012-13), Iowa (77-72, 2015-16), Vanderbilt (88-79, 2017-18) and Purdue (66-60, 12/4).
