Ball State University
Purdue University
WBB Hosts Purdue Sunday in WNIT Second Round
March 17, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Game #32 Second Round Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT)
Date: Sunday, March 18, 2018
Tipoff: 2:00 p.m.
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Social Media: @BallStateWBB, @BallStateSports, #ChirpChirp
Game Notes: Ball State | Purdue
2018 WNIT Bracket
- The Ball State women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the first time since 2016 after defeating Middle Tennessee 69-60 Thursday night in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals will now host Big Ten foe Purdue Sunday at 2 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
- The Cardinals and the Boilermakers met earlier in the season which resulted in a 66-60 victory for Ball State in West Lafayette, Dec. 4. The win marked the first time since 1979 that a Ball State women's basket team had defeated Purdue.
- Ball State is making its sixth straight WNIT appearance and ninth overall (all since 2002). The Cardinals are 6-8 all-time in WNIT play and won two games to reach the final 16 of the 2013 event. Last season, the Cardinals lost a first-round game at Indiana.
- Ball State enters the WNIT with a 25-6 overall record. The Cardinals went 13-5 in Mid-American Conference play and earned a first-round bye in the league tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons before falling to Western Michigan in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals began the year with a perfect 11-0 non-conference record, highlighted by wins over Purdue, Vanderbilt, Butler and Western Kentucky.
- In the last three seasons, head coach Brady Sallee has compiled a 18-13 record for the month of March. Last year Ball State went 1-2 in the month of March. In 2015-16, Ball State registered a 4-2 ledger in March with wins over Northern Illinois, Toledo and Big Ten foe Iowa. The 2014-15 season wasn't any different, as Ball State began the month with wins over Central Michigan and Toledo before falling to Eastern Michigan in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. In 2013-14, the Cardinals began the month with wins over Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Toledo before heading into the MAC Tournament where they won four-straight before suffering a loss to Akron in the championship game. Ball State went 3-3 in the month of March in 2012-13, which included two wins in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, advancing the Cardinals to the Final 16. So far this season, Ball State is 2-1 this month with a win over Eastern Michigan and a loss to Western Michigan.
- Ball State is one game 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 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 19 out of its 30 games.
- Ball State ranks 44th 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 (50), Purdue (62), Toledo (78), and Miami (85).
- Junior guard Carmen Grande has been named to the 2017-18 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America First Team, the organization announced Monday. Grande becomes only the second player in program history to earn the honor and the first since Kate Endress in 2004-05. Grande ranks second nationally in assists per game (9.2) and second in total assists (275). She currently has 678 career assists and became the program's all-time leader at Western Michigan Saturday, Feb. 10. Grande is currently seventh on the Mid-American Conference all-time assists list and was tabbed to the Third Team All-MAC team along with receiving MAC All-Defensive Team honors. Grande ranks fourth on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game. She scored a career-high 25 points this season in a win against Eastern Michigan Feb. 7, and was featured on the Top 10 Plays on ESPN's SportsCenter. Grande has 13 career double-doubles and 23 games with double-figure assists.
- 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 81 times in double figures over her career and is 49 points away from moving up to fifth on the program's all-time scoring list.
- Ball State sixth year head women's basketball coach Brady Sallee became the program's winningest coach after the Cardinals defeated Eastern Michigan 88-63 on March 3 in the Convocation Center. Sallee's career record at Ball State is now 119-72 and passes former head coach Tracy Roller who coached at Ball State from 2001-08.
- Purdue holds an 19-13 record heading into today's contest and a 9-7 mark in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are making their-third ever appearance in the WNIT and their first since 2010. Purdue has a 4-2 record in the postseason WNIT. The Boilermakers defeat IUPUI, 48-46, Thursday night in Indianapolis to advance to the WNIT second round. Ball State and Purdue will meet for the 26th time with Boilermakers leading the all-time series record, 19-6. The two programs first meeting was Dec. 5, 1975 which resulted in a 68-63 win for Ball State and their last meeting was Dec. 4, 2017 in West Lafayette also resulting in a win for the Cardinals, 66-60.
- Purdue is paced by Dominique Oden and Andreona Keys who are both averaging 13.5 points per game. Behind Oden and Keys is Ae'Rianna Harris who is scoring 12.0 points per game. Rounding out the double figure scoring for the Boilermakers are Karissa McLaughlin (10.2 ppg) and Lamina Cooper (10.0 ppg).
- The Boilermakers are coached by Sharon Versyp who is in her 12th season, she is the winningest coach in program history with 255 victories at Purdue.
