Ball State University
Kent State University
WBB Begins Two-Game MAC Road Swing; Plays At Kent State Saturday
January 08, 2021 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (4-4, 2-2 MAC) vs. Kent State (4-2, 3-0 MAC)
Kent, Ohio | M.A.C Center
Watch: ESPN+Â | Listen:Â Muncie Sports Station (102.9 FM/1340 AM)Â | Live Stats
Game Notes:  Ball State | Kent State
Opening Tip:
• Saturday's game against Kent State will mark the 62nd time in program history the two schools have met with the Golden Flashes leading the all-time series, 39-22.
• The Cardinals have won eight of their last 11 meetings against Kent State.
• The two teams split their two-game series last year with each respective school winning on their home courts. Ball State defeated Kent State in Worthen Arena by a score of 66-62 on Jan. 4. The game was close at the M.A.C Center on Jan. 29 but the Golden Flashes squeaked by with a 69-68 victory over the Cardinals.
• Ball State head coach Brady Sallee is familiar with the Golden Flashes, he was an assistant women's basketball coach from 1996-2002 under former legendary head coach Bob Lindsay.
• After Saturday's contest Ball State ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee must have giving his team a chemistry lesson because Wednesday night's 93-78 victory over Toledo was an all around team effort. From the start of the game to the finish, the Cardinals dominated on both ends of the court offensively and defensively against the Rockets.Â
• Kent State will return to the court for the first time in a week. Unfortunately, the Golden Flashes game Wednesday at home against Northern Illinois was postponed due to the Mid-American Conference protocols of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Kent State is 3-0 in league play with wins over Ohio (84-80), Toledo (61-57) and Eastern Michigan (67-61).
Threading The Needle:
Against Toledo, the Cardinals dished out 20 assists for a well rounded scoring spree against the Rockets Wednesday with five Ball State players reaching double figures. Ball State owns a 4-0 record when it has more than 10 assists in a game this year, and the Cardinals have not lost a game where we have had more than 15 assists since Feb. 9, 2019. The last time Ball State had 20 or more assists in a contest was last season at Purdue Fort Wayne that game BSU dished out 22 assists in an 83-52 win over the Mastodons on Nov. 12, 2019.
Hot In January:
It may be cold outside but the Cardinals tend to get hot in the month of January under ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee owns an overall record of 43-23 (.646) in the month of January dating back to his first season in 2012-13.Â
1,000 Points, 1,000 Rebounds:
Senior Oshlynn Brown currently has 1,147 career points and 879Â rebounds. Brown needs 121 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.
Last Timeout:
After last Saturday's contest, Ball State ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee must have giving his team a chemistry lesson because Wednesday night's 93-78 victory over Toledo was an all-around team effort. From start to finish, the Cardinals (4-4, 2-2 MAC) dominated on both offense and defense against the Rockets (6-2, 2-2 MAC) Sallee commented on Brown's performance after the game, saying she did a great job of understanding where she was going to hurt Toledo tonight and that was down in the paint. He gave her a lot of credit, saying she was a savvy senior that understood here's how the team needs you to play in order to win and thought that was a big part of tonight's outcome. Brown also got plenty of help from her teammates as four other Cardinals reached double figures. Sophomore Sydney Freeman chipped in 18 points while junior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir had 15. Redshirt sophomore Anna Clephane added 14 points and newcomer Essence Booker finished the night with 13. The all-around offensive success also had a lot to do with the team's unselfishness which was apparent with their season-high 20 assists, with Freeman dishing out a game-high eight.Â
Scouting Kent State:
• The first-ever meeting between Ball State and Kent State was the 1979-80 season. The Golden Flashes won that meeting by a score of 84-59 in Ohio. Ball State has currently taking the last four meetings from Kent State.
• Todd Starkey enters his fifth year at the helm of the Golden Flashes. The 2017 Mid-American Conference Coach of the year has guided his team so far to an unblemished league
record (3-0). He currently is third on the program's all-time career wins list with 75. Kent State entered this season projected to finish sixth in the MAC Preseason poll.
• Kent State has four players averaging in double figures with Nila Blackford leading the squad scoring 14.5 points per game while also ranking first on the team in rebounds with 10.0 rpg. Mariah Modkins, Lindsey Thall and Katie Shumate all are averaging 10+ points a contest.
Next Game:
The Ball State women's basketball team remains on the road when it travels to Ohio University Wednesday, Jan. 13 for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off in the Convocation Center. The Cardinals will be looking for their first win over the Bobcats since the 2013-14 season. Ohio has won the last seven meetings over Ball State. Wednesday's game against Ohio will mark the 65th time in program history the two schools have met with the Bobcats leading the all-time series record, 37-27.Â
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