Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Saint Louis University
WBB Begins Five-Game Road Stretch at Saint Louis Sunday
December 02, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (5-1) at Saint Louis (4-4)
December 3, 2023 >>Chaifetz Arena>
St. Louis, Mo.>> 3 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- Ball State looks to improve to 6-1 in non-conference action for the first time since the 2017-18 season when it travels to Saint Louis Sunday for a 3 pm ET tipoff in Chaifetz Arena.
- Sunday's meeting against the Billikens is the 12th all-time. The Cardinals lead the series, 6-5. The last time these two teams met was in 2022 on Dec. 5 in Worthen Arena resulting in a 85-51 victory for Ball State.
- The Cardinals went 1-1 last week in non-conference action after defeating IUPUI on Wednesday in the Jungle by a score of 67-63. Ally Becki led all players that contest with a 19-point performance. Ball State closed out its two-game in-state rivalry week at home on Friday with a 90-59 loss to No. 14 Notre Dame both Becki and Madelyn Bischoff each chipped in 11-points apiece. Despite the loss, the Cardinals broke their program attendance record with 5,442 fans.
- The Cardinals have one of the toughest mid-major conference schedules in the country. After today's contest, Ball State will continue its five-game road swing when it plays at #12 UConn Wednesday at 7 pm ET in Storrs, Conn.
- Ball State will face four power five schools in non-conference action this season, two from the ACC — Notre Dame (Nov. 24) and Pitt (Dec. 19), one from the SEC Georgia (Dec. 21) and one from the Big East UConn (Dec. 6).
- Saint Louis recently suffered a 78-59 loss to Wichita State Friday night in Wichita, Kan. Three Billikens scored a 11 points apiece; Camree' Clegg, Marcavia Shavers and Brooklyn Gray. Saint Louis enters Sunday's contest with a 4-4 overall ledger with wins over Missouri (93-85), Missouri State (79-67), Chaminade University (109-63) and UIC (79-75). Peyton Kennedy leads the Billikens offensively averaging 15.5 points per contest.
Seventh Game of the Season:
- In her first six contests as a Cardinal, Nyla Hampton has stolen the ball 23 times and has dished out 26 assists. Hampton stole the ball eight times against Tennessee Tech (11/6/23) which marks a season best. Hampton is seventh in the nation currently in steals per game (3.83) and 15th in total steals (23).
- The Cardinals defense continues to be a driving force in their success along with handling the ball on offense. Ball State ranks 10th in the nation in turnover margin (7.67) and 15th in turnovers forced per game (23.0). Against #14 Notre Dame, the Cardinals forced the Irish to turn the ball over 29 times which is the most an opponent has done to the Irish all season while holding Notre Dame to under 100 points.
- Ally Becki ranks 22nd in the country and first in the Mid-American Conference in assists per game (5.8).
- Madelyn Bischoff ranks sixth in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.67) and 22nd in total 3-pointers (22).
Career Milestones:
- Ally Becki needs 177 points for 1,000, 124 assists and 90 rebounds to reach the 500 mark.
- Nyla Hampton needs 82 points for 1,000.
- Marie Kiefer has 104 blocks for her career -- needs one blocks to move into second place all-time and 48 to move into first place.
Inside the Paint:
After six games the Cardinals proved that they can still dominate in the paint. So far this season Ball State is 5-0 when winning the paint battle or scoring 30+; vs. Tennessee Tech (54-32), Troy (48-34), Chicago State (42-22), Northern Iowa (32-30) and IUPUI (30-30).
