Ball State University
Xavier
Women's Basketball Hosts Xavier In Home Opener Wednesday
November 19, 2019 | Women's Basketball
Today's game marks the fourth-annual Field Trip Day for the Cardinals
Ball State (1-2, 0-0 MAC) vs. Xavier (1-2, 0-0 Big East)
Wednesday, Nov. 20 (11:30 a.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Xavier
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Opening Tip:
- After opening the season with three straight road games, Ball State will now open its home portion of its 2019-20 schedule with back-to-back home games against Xavier (Nov. 20) and Butler (Nov. 23).Â
- The game against Xavier on Wednesday will mark the Cardinals fourth annual Field Trip Day.Head Coach Brady Sallee started the tradition in 2016 for local elementary and middle school-aged children to attend a basketball game during the day.Â
- Ball State and Xavier will meet for the first time since the 2006 season. The Cardinals won that game in Cincinnati by a score of 69-63 on Dec. 22. Ball State leads the all-time series record against the Musketeers 2-1.Â
- Xavier is 2-4 in it's last six meetings versus a team from the Mid-American Conference, with wins over Bowling Green (65-49, 2018) and Northern Illinois (66-54, 2012).
- Both Ball State and Xavier are coming off road losses Saturday. The Musketeers lost at Rider (57-64) and the Cardinals fell at Cincinnati (57-63).
Welcom Back Lauren For Field Trip Day:
Following her emergence on the national stage on Kelly Clarkson's Team Kelly and Blake Shelton's Team Blake, Lauren Hall is coming home to Ball State. Hall, a former soccer standout for the Cardinals and 2016 graduate, recently concluded a memorable run as a contestant on NBC's The Voice, Season 17. She is scheduled to perform at halftime of the annual Ball State women's basketball Field Trip Day game Wednesday, November 20th, which tips at 11:30 a.m. against Xavier inside Worthen Arena. In addition, she will perform the Star-Spangled Banner before the men's basketball game later that evening as the Cards host Northern Kentucky.Â
Clephane Comeback:
Redshirt freshman Anna Clephane has returned to the Cardinals lineup this season after sustaining a season ending injury last year. Clephane came off the bench Tuesday against Purdue Fort Wayne, leading the Cardinals in scoring with 16 points after shooting a staggering 86 (6-of-7) percent from the field. She then led the Cardinals again offensively at Cincinnati with a game-high 15 points. Clephane leads the team in scoring this season averaging 13.3 ppg.
The Series vs. Xavier:
1989-1990: Ball State 82, Xavier 70 (Muncie, Ind.)
1990-1991: Xavier 94, Ball State 79 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
2006-2007: Ball State 69, Cincinnati 63 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Scouting Xavier:
• Xavier trails the all-time series with Ball State, 1-2. The Musketeers fell to the Cardinals in their last meeting on Dec. 22, 2006 in Cincinnati by a score of 69-63. The last time Xavier played in Muncie was in 1989, resulting in a 82-70 loss for the Musketeers on Nov. 25. Today's contest will be the first time that the Musketeers have played in Worthen Arena.
• Melanie Moore is Xavier's new head coach after she was hired on April 5. Prior to her appointment, Moore spent seven seasons at Michigan as an assistant and associate head coach.
• Junior A'riana Gray was named to the Preseason All-Big East Team last month. The Musketeers were picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll. Gray was also Xavier's leading rebounder and scorer last season. She averaged 13.9 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per contest last year. Gray currently leads the Musketeers in scoring with 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds.
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