Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Ohio University
Women's Basketball Looks to Extend Win Streak to Four At Ohio Wednesday
February 01, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 2 | Athens, Ohio | Convocation Center | 7 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN3 | Listen: Muncie Sports Station (102.9 FM/1340 AM) | Live Stats
Game Notes: Ball State | Ohio
Opening Tip:
- Wednesday's game against Ohio will mark the 68th time in program history the two schools have met with the Bobcats leading the all-time series record, 39-28. Ohio has won 10 of the last 11 meetings over the Cardinals. Ball State did win in Athens last season on Jan. 13,2021 where the Cardinals beat the Bobcats 89-84 in overtime. Prior to BSU's win, the Cardinals had not defeated Ohio since Jan. 18, 2014.
- Ohio and Ball State last faced off in the 2021 Mid-American Conference quarterfinals in Cleveland, Ohio with the Bobcats winning the game 61-59 on March 10.
- The Cardinals are looking to extend their win streak to four when they travel to Ohio. Ball State is coming off wins over Central Michigan (57-45), Miami (67-64) and Buffalo (72-70).
- Ohio is looking to get back on the winning track after its three-game win streak was snapped on Saturday in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Broncos took down the Bobcats by a score of 74-64.
- Since 2012-13 under Brady Sallee the Cardinals have opened up the month of February with a 6-3 record. Last year, Ball State defeated Central Michigan on the road on Feb. 3 by a score of 69-66.
In The Nation In 3's:
The Cardinals currently rank 19th in the nation among its Division I peers in 3-point field goals per game 9.0). Ball State also ranks in the top-50 in 3-point field goal attempts coming in at 12 with 532 and 23rd in the nation for total 3-pointers made with 171.
Becki ESPN Top 10 Plays:
Freshman Ally Becki turned in a star studded performance at Buffalo a week ago with a career best 20 points. Becki made the ESPN top 10 plays after nailing a half court shot at the buzzer to end intermission against the Bulls helping Ball State take the lead over Buffalo at the break and a later the victory against UB.
Loving Latimer:
Ball State women's basketball graduate student Chyna Latimer joined the Cardinals this season after transferring from the University of Delaware. Unfortunately, with the loss of Anna Clephane due to an injury she sustained against Kent State, Latimer stepped up and took a starting role at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 12. Latimer definitely wasn't shy as she led the team with a 17-point performance while helping Ball State defeat Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti by a score of 83-73. She then matched that performance with 17 points at Akron (1/15/22). Latimer recently recorded a personal best 18 points vs. Toledo (1/19/22) and her first career double-double against Miami after scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds(1/24/22).
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.
Eight Is Enough:
The Cardinals proved themselves yet again when faced with adversity BSU rises to the occasion and that is what happened again last Monday night in Worthen Arena. Ball State found out early morning on Monday that they would be short-handed against their MAC rival RedHawks. But that didn't stop them as Ball State led almost the entire contest and were able to hold onto the 67-64 victory over Miami on Jan. 24, 2022. With the win, Brady Sallee improved his overall record against Miami to 11-1 since his first season in 2012-13.
Bring On The Defense:
In the Cardinals last four showings Ball State has shown a lot of grit defensively. Against MAC leader Toledo on Jan. 19 the Cardinals held the Rockets to their second lowest score of the season and lowest so far in league action with a 58 point total. On Saturday Jan. 22 Ball State held the Chippewas to only 45 points. So needless to say the Cardinals are getting hot defensively. At the half against Miami the Cardinals had forced the RedHawks to commit 15 turnovers which BSU turned into 13 points on its way to defeating Miami, 63-60, on Jan. 24, 2022. Against Buffalo, Ball State was able to out-rebound the Bulls 46-38 including 33 defensive boards.
Scouting Ohio:
- Ohio's head coach Bob Boldon is only two wins away from his 100th career MAC victory.
- The Bobcats are led by none other than CeCe Hooks who is averaging 23.1 points per game. Hooks recently became the Mid-American Conference's all-time scoring leader with 2,510 career points a record that was previously held by Toledo's Kim Knuth (1995-99).
- Hooks set the career scoring record in Ohio basketball history in the Bobcats' win over Central Michigan on Jan. 15, 2022. Her reverse layup with 5:58 remaining in the 2nd quarter eclipsed the previous record of 2,449 points held by Caroline Mast since 1986.
- Ohio has only lost one game this season at home and that was against Northern Illinois on Jan. 8 by a score of 71-68.
Next Game:
After today's contest, the Cardinals return home finally when they host Bowling Green for a rematch on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. ET. The Falcons won the first meeting against the Cardinals on Jan. 1 by a score of 82-58.
