Ball State University
University of Pittsburgh
Women's Basketball Closes Out Three-Game Week At ACC Foe Pitt Sunday
December 09, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11Â | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Petersen Events Center | 12 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- Ball State (7-2) will try to remain in the win column and extend its win streak to six when it travels to ACC foe Pitt (6-3) for a Sunday matinee (12 pm ET) at the Petersen Events Center. Â
- The last time the Cardinals defeated a team from the ACC was under 11th-year head coach Brady Sallee in 2017-28. That season Ball State defeated Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., by a score of 88-79 on Nov. 20, 2017. That same season Ball State earned another victory over a Power 5 program on Dec. 4 at Purdue by a score of 66-60.Â
- It was a close call on Thursday night in Worthen Arena but the Cardinals managed to pull out the 61-54 victory over in-state rival IUPUI. Sophomore Ally Becki led all scorers with her first double-double of the season after scoring 20 points and pulling down a career best 14 rebounds.Â
- Ball State and Pitt have met four times, with the Panthers leading the all-time series, 4-0. Ball State and Pitt's last meeting was in 2021 in Muncie. The Panthers won that contest, 64-54 on Dec. 4, 2021.
- The match-up Thursday will be Ball State's second against an ACC opponent this season. The Cardinals played at No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 20.Â
- Pitt is off to a 6-3 start this season with wins over Coppin State (56-41), George Mason (63-45), Bryant (93-54), Duquesne (61-45), Towson (72-62) and Loyola (MD) (78-42). The Panthers' are led by Liatu King who is averaging 10.4 rebounds per contest and 8.9 rebounds.
Fast Facts:
- Redshirt senior Anna Clephane currently leads the Cardinals is scoring averaging 13.2 points per game. Clephane has 896 points for her career and only needs 104 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 19 three's so far this season. Agustsdottir has 237 total 3-pointers for her career and sits in fifth place all-time. She needs 16 more to move up to fourth place which is currently being held by former Cardinal John Goff (2001-04) with 253 3-pointers.
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Three All-Stars Start:
Three of the Cardinals' sophomores this season were tabbed to their respective states all-star squads in high school. Both Ally Becki and Madelyn Bischoff were selected to the Indiana All-Star team while fellow teammate Marie Kiefer was a Kentucky All-Star. All three sophomores are in the starting lineup and have combined for 241 points thus far for the Cardinals, 128 rebounds, and 55 assists.Â
Scouting Pitt:
- The Panthers have shown major improvement in their shooting from deep and overall from the floor. The Panthers are shooting 43% from the floor and 36% from deep after closing out last season shooting 37.3% from the floor and 29.2% from deep. Aislin Malcolm is shooting a team-high 44% from deep while Amber Brown and Liatu King are shooting around 50 percent from the floor.
- Pitt snapped their three-game losing streak Wednesday night at the Petersen Events Center after defeating Loyola (MD) by a score of 78-42. The Panthers were led offensively by Avery Strickland who finished the night with a career best 17 points.Â
- Pitt is currently 4-1 at home this season.Â
- The Panthers will be hosting the 2nd Annual Deaf Awareness Game against the Cardinals on Sunday.Â
Ball State's Bench:
The Cardinals bench has stepped up their game this season as they have combined to score 229 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
