Ball State University
Tarleton State University
Women's Basketball Takes on Tarleton and Richmond at Puerto Rico Classic
December 18, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Coliseo Roberto Clemente | 2 pm ET
Game 12 | Ball State (8-2) vs. Richmond (8-3)
Dec. 20 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Coliseo Roberto Clemente | 2 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- Ball State (8-2) will try to remain in the win column and extend its win streak to eight when it travels to the Puerto Rico Classic (Dec. 19 & 20). The Cardinals will first face Tartleton State on Monday before closing out the two-game tournament versus Richmond on Tuesday. Both games are set to tipoff at 2 pm ET.
- Before taking a week's break for finals, Ball State earned a 68-66 overtime road victory against ACC foe Pitt, Dec. 11. With the win, Ball State head coach Brady Sallee has now defeated five Power 5 conference teams during his tenure with the Cardinals— Minnesota (54-51, 2012-13), Iowa (77-72, 2015-16), Vanderbilt (88-79, 2017-18), Purdue (66-60, 2017-18) and Pitt (68-66, 2022-23).
- Against Pitt, Alex Richard led Ball State with a career-high 18 points. Thelma Dis Agustsdottir chipped in 14 points, while teammates Madelyn Bischoff and Ally Becki finished the day with 10 apiece. Becki also led the Cardinals with 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
- Monday's game against Tarleton will be the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and the Texans.Â
- Tuesday's game will be the second all-time meeting between Ball State and Richmond with the Cardinals leading the series, 1-0. The last time Ball State and Richmond met was on Dec. 29, 2008 at the Alabama Tournament, resulting in a 77-71 win for the Cardinals.
- The 2022 Puerto Rico Classic will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
Fast Facts:
- Redshirt senior Anna Clephane currently leads the Cardinals is scoring averaging 12.3 points per game. Clephane has 900 points for her career and only needs 100 to become the 10th player under Brady Sallee to reach the 1,000 point milestone.Â
 - Sophomore Marie Kiefer has proven to be a great defender for the Cardinals. She currently sits in 12th place all-time in blocked shots with 59 and so far has 11 total this season. Kiefer averages 1.4 blocks per contest.
- Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir has found her rhythm behind the arc again as she currently leads the team with 23 three's so far this season. Agustsdottir has 240 total 3-pointers for her career and sits in fifth place all-time. She needs 13 more to move up to fourth place which is currently being held by former Cardinal John Goff (2001-04) with 253 3-pointers.
Backs, Crashers, and Keys:
For the second-straight season, 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.Â
Ball State's Bench:
The Cardinals bench has stepped up their game this season as they have combined to score 259 points including a season high 47 points against IU East. Ball State's bench also scored 40 points in a win at Utah State.Â
Scouting Tarleton:
- Tarleton is 14-6 (.700) over the past two seasons in non-conference action and has won three of their last four contests.Â
- Teresa Da Silva leads the team in scoring averaging 16.7 points per contest.
- Tarleton is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
- Through nine games, Tarleton has y et to have an out come decided by fewer than double figures.
Scouting Richmond:
- Richmond is a member of the A-10 Conference and was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll.
- Much like the Cardinals, the Spiders have well-rounded scoring. Addie Bunk leads Richmond in scoring with 13.0 ppg. Grace Townsend is second (11.6 ppg), Katie Hill is third (11.2) and Siobhan Ryan is fourth (10.5 ppg). Budnik also leads the squad in rebounding (7.1 rpg).
- The Spiders have won their last two contests — Longwood (119-55) and Elon (63-51). Richmond did play a fellow Mid-American Conference school this season when the Spiders fell to Northern Illinois (64-67) on Nov. 27.
