Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Utah State University
Women's Basketball Returns to Worthen Arena Saturday Against Utah State
December 10, 2021 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11 | Muncie, Ind. | Worthen Arena | 1 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+ | Listen: Muncie Sports Station (102.9 FM/1340 AM) | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Utah State
Opening Tip:
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Ball State Cardinals and the Utah Stater Aggies.
Both teams enter today's contest with an overall record of 5-3. The Cardinals are coming off of a in-state rivalry win over IUPUI after defeating the Jaguars on the road by a score of 73-67. Utah State also comes to Muncie hot off a 66-65 victory Wednesday night against Arkansas State.
Redshirt junior Anna Clephane led the Cardinals in scoring against IUPUI Wednesday turning in an 18-point performance. It marked the third-straight contest Clephane has led the Cardinals in points. Clephane has scored in double figures in all of the Cardinals eight games this season with her season best being 21 points at Butler (11/16/21). Clephane currently ranks first in scoring for Ball State averaging 16.3 points per contest.
The Cardinals are 1-0 on this date under head coach Brady Sallee. The last time Ball State played on Dec. 11 was at Oakland in 2016 resulting in a 66-59 victory for the Cardinals.
In 10 years, Brady Sallee owns a 33-21 (.611) record in the month of December with his best season being a 5-1 ledger in 2017-18.
Fun fact about today's game former Ball State men's basketball player and alum Jauwan Scaife makes his return to Worthen Arena as an assistant coach for Utah State. Scaife played for the Cardinals from 2009-13. He ranks 17th on the Cardinals all-time scoring list with 1,326 points. Scaife is also the cousin of former Ball State and NBA standout Bonzi Wells. He is also from Muncie and went to high school at Muncie Central.
Agustsdottir Nearing 1,000 Points:
Ball State senior crasher Thelma Dis Agustsdottir is nearing the 1,000 career point plateau. Agustsdottir currently has 961 points and needs 39 to become the 30th member of the 1,000 point club and the ninth under head coach Brady Sallee.
Backs, Crashers and Keys:
This year, the Cardinals are forgoing "traditional" positions and using their own such as backs, crashers, and keys, to bring a sense of team unity. That system proved to be the lift Ball State needed, especially with so many new faces on the court. BSU started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2017.
Ball Control:
In the Cardinals last two contests Ball State has been able limit its turnovers against its opponents. Against Purdue Fort Wayne, the Cardinals only committed 12 turnovers and then mimicked that type of performance against Pitt with a season low nine miscues. Currently the Cardinals turnover margin is +4.9.
Next Game:
After today's contest, the Cardinals will enjoy a little time off from competition for finals week as Ball State's 2021 fall semester comes to a close. Ball State returns to the court for its final non-conference game on Dec. 20 versus Bellarmine in Worthen Arena at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game against the Knights will only be the second-ever between the two schools. Ball State and Bellarmine first faced off last year in Louisville, Ky. on Dec. 14, 2020 resulting in a 98-42 victory for the Cardinals.
