Ball State University
Milwaukee
Women's Basketball Opens Season At Milwaukee Wednesday
November 24, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (0-0, 0-0 MAC) vs. Milwaukee (0-0, 0-0 Horizon League)
Milwaukee, Wis. | UWM Panther Arena
Watch: ESPN3 |  Listen | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Milwaukee
Opening Tip:
- Ball State and Milwaukee will face off for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The two schools' have met a total of five times with the Panthers leading the all-time series 4-1. Milwaukee won the last meeting over the Cardinals by a score of 78-73 in the Moran Realty Classic hosted by DePaul.
- The Cardinals' lone win against the Panthers was on Jan. 12, 1991 at Milwaukee by a score of 82-60.Â
- For the second-straight season the Panthers will be opening the season on their home court in the Klotsche Center.
- The last time Ball State won its season opener was in 2017, that year the Cardinals defeated Cleveland State on the road by a score of 76-64.
- Head coach Brady Sallee is 2-6 all-time in season openers at Ball State dating back to his first season in 2012-13.
- Milwaukee will be only the second school from the state of Wisconsin that ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee has faced. Last year, Ball State faced Big Ten foe Wisconsin at the Bahamas Hoopfest.
Brown Preseason All-MAC:
Senior Oshlynn Brown was selected for the second straight season as a member of the 2020-21 preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team. Brown enters her senior season with 1,088 points, 836 rebounds, 33 double-doubles, 40 double-digit rebounding performances and 58 double-digit scoring games. Last year she was tabbed First Team All-MAC and earned MAC West Division Player of the Week accolades four times.Â
BSU Picked To Finish Third:
The Cardinals were picked to finish third in the MAC preseason poll behind Central Michigan (1) and Ohio (2). Ball State also earned one vote to win the 2021 MAC Tournament. (8-23).
The Future Is Bright:
Ball State has a lot to look forward to this season after ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee guided his team to a 21-10 overall record last year, with 13 more wins than they had in 2018-19 (8-23). The 13-game turnaround led all NCAA Division I women's basketball programs and ranks 30th all-time in NCAA history. Â
In the Nation:
Ball State ended the 2019-20 campaign ranked 10th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (30.2), 11th in free throws attempts (655) and 49th in both field goal percentage defense (36.8) and 3-point defense (28.8). BSU went 13-4 last year in two-possession games, posted a 5-3 mark in one-possession contests and was 2-1 in overtime games.
20 Wins Again:
The Cardinals won their 20th game of the season on Feb. 29 against MAC champion Central Michigan, making Sallee the only head coach in program history to have four 20-win seasons —21-9 (2015-16), 21-10 (2016-17), 25-8 (2017-18) and 21-10 (2019-20).
1,000 Points, 1,000 Rebounds:
Senior Oshlynn Brown currently has 1,088 career points and 836 rebounds. Brown needs 164 rebounds to hit 1,000. Brown will become only the second player in Ball State women's basketball history to reach 1,000 points and rebounds. Former Cardinal Emma Jones (1984-87) so far is the lone player in program history to get 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
We Showed Them:
The Ball State women's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference West Division preseason polls last year. But the Cardinals made a loud statement by winning 10 more games than they hadthe previous, locking up the No. 2 spot in the overall MAC standings. The Cardinals' turnaround from 2018-19 to last season is tied for second-best in the MAC record books. The 10+ wins in a season has happened five times:
Best MACÂ Turnaround:
Ohio +12 in 2014-15 (4 to 16)
Ball State +10 in 2019-20 (3 to 13)
Kent +10 in 2016-17 (3 to 13)
Ohio +10 in 1985-86 (6 to 16)
Toledo +10 in 1982-83 (3 to 13)
Home Sweet Home:
John E. Worthen Arena has been very good to the Cardinals for the past decade. Ball State has a record of 149-75 (.649) at Worthen Arena from 2004-present. In eight seasons Brady Sallee has compiled a 81-39 (.667)Â record in Worthen Arena. His best season at home was in 2017-18 when the Cardinals went 15-3 in Muncie. Last year the Cardinals finished with a 12-1 ledger in Worthen Arena and a 9-0 league mark.
Roster Outlook:
The Cardinals' roster this season includes two freshmen, Cameron Grant and Ivet Subirats along with three transfers Krystal Rice, Essence Booker and Ella Skeens. Ball State returns All-Mid-American Conference performers Oshlynn Brown for her senior season and Freeman for her sophomore campaign. The Cardinals roster is stacked with experience, as Maliah Howard-Bass, Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Blake Smith, Estel Puiggros, Anna Clephane and Annie Rauch also make their return to the court.
It's Been Nine Years:
Ball State ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee has guided the Cardinals to a wealth of success over his nine-year tenure at Ball State. Under his guidance, Ball State has made six appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Sallee is also the winningest head coach in program history with 149 victories.
A Cardinal Win Would:
- Give Brady Sallee his 150th career victory.
- Give Ball State its first season opening win since 2017.
- Give Brady Sallee his first win against a school from Wisconsin since his arrival at Ball State.
Scouting Milwaukee:
- The Milwaukee women's basketball team has been predicted to finish seventh in the Horizon League.
- The Panthers finished 15-16 overall last season and went 11-7 in conference action.
- Milwaukee closed the year, winning seven of their final eight regular season games.
- Kyle Rechlicz enters her ninth season as the head coach of the Milwaukee women's basketball team in 2020-21. She has taking the Panthers to two WNIT appearance and one WBI. Rechlicz owns an overall record of 119-130 (.478).
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