Ball State University
Bowling Green
Women's Basketball Opens MAC Play On New Years Day At Bowling Green
December 31, 2021 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 1 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Stroh Center | 2 p.m. ETÂ
Watch: ESPN3Â | Listen:Â Muncie Sports Station (102.9 FM/1340 AM)Â | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Bowling Green
Opening Tip:
- Ball State and Bowling Green have met a total of 69 times in program history with the Falcons leading the all-time series record, 45-24.Â
- Prior to last season, Ball State had won the last 10 meetings between the two programs. The last time the Cardinals played at BGSU the outcome resulted in an 86-80 in overtime for Ball State on Jan. 8, 2020 in the Stroh Center.
- The 10-game winning streak against the Falcons ranked the first between Ball State and any other MAC school. The next team was Miami, Ball State had defeated them seven times in a row until the 2018-19 season.
- Ball State and Bowling Green's first-ever meeting was in 1974-75, the Cardinals defeated the Falcons by a score of 58-52 in Terre Haute, Ind.
- Both teams were supposed to open their 2021-22 Mid-American Conference seasons on Wednesday, Dec. 29. The Cardinals were set to play Western Michigan and the Falcons were scheduled to compete at Eastern Michigan. Both games were postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
- The Cardinals are looking for their fourth-straight win as BSU ended the season with a 7-3 non-conference ledger. The Falcons also closed out 2021 with a victory over UT Martin and will enter Saturday's contest with a 5-4 non-conference mark.
In The Nation In 3's:
The Cardinals currently rank 16th in the nation among its Division I peers in 3-point field goals per game (9.3). Ball State also ranks in the top-50 in 3-point field goal attempts coming in at 27 with 298 and 38th in the nation for total 3-pointers with 93.Â
Agustsdottir Nearing 1,000:
Ball State senior crasher Thelma Dis Agustsdottir is nearing the 1,000 career point plateau. Agustsdottir currently has 991 points and needs nine points to become the 30th member of the 1,000 point club and the ninth under head coach Brady Sallee.Â
Backs, Crashers & 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 four 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 assist/turnover ratio is 1.27 which is good for a national ranking of 19.Â
Sallee And MAC Openers:
Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals are 5-4 in Mid-American Conference openers and 1-0 against Bowling Green. The last time Ball State opened league play against the Falcons was on Jan. 3, 2015 in the Stroh Center. That game resulted in a 62-50 victory for the Cardinals.Â
MAC Success:
 Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Brady Sallee, the Cardinals have had a wealth of success during MAC action. Sallee enters this conference season with 102-60 (.629) career MAC record. The Cardinals have punched their ticket straight to Cleveland in the MAC Tournament seven out of eight times under Sallee and have reached the championship game twice. Ball State earned a MAC West Division title in 2014-15 and has reached postseason play six times including making it to the round of 16 at the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in Sallee's inaugural year.
MAC COVIDÂ Policy:
The MACÂ announced that due to the current rise in COVID cases and its impact on winter sport programs. If possible, games that cannot be played as scheduled will be rescheduled. If a game cannot be played and cannot be rescheduled, it will be considered a no contest. For men's and women's basketball, a team must meet a minimum threshold of seven scholarship student-athletes and one coach to play a game.Â
Ticket Information:
Call 888.BSU.TICKET or 765.285.1474 to join the Cardinal Family inside Worthen Arena! Season tickets and groups are on sale now. Single game tickets will be available Monday, October 18, at the numbers listed above and online at Ticketmaster.com.
Scouting Bowling Green:
- Head coach Robyn Fralick, in her fourth season at the helm of the Falcons, returned 10 players off of last year's BGSU roster.
-The Falcons, after going 10-21 overall and 3-15 in the MAC two years ago, were picked to finish 11th in the 12-team league in 2020-21, according to the preseason coaches' poll. BG proceeded to post a 14-4 MAC record to win the regular-season crown. Then, the Orange and Brown defeated Eastern Michigan and Buffalo in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, before falling to Central Michigan in the championship game.
- BGSU advanced to the WNIT and finished with a 21-8 overall record. BG tied for the second-best turnaround in the nation, with an improvement of +12.0 games.
- This season, the Falcons were picked to finish second in the MAC in the preseason coaches' poll.
