Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes on National Powerhouse #17 UConn on the Road Wednesday
December 05, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Sisters Hana and Nika Mühl set to face off in Storrs, Connecticut
Ball State (6-1) at #17 UConn (4-3)
December 6, 2023 >>Harry A. Gampel Pavilion>
Storrs, Conn.>> 7 pm ET
STREAMING INFORMATION: UConn's SNY games will be available to stream in-market (CT, NY, NJ, PA) to authenticated subscribers via the SNY app.Out-of-market fans will be able to stream UConn's SNY games at no additional cost to authenticated subscribers who have FOX as part of their television package. Users will need to sign in with their TV provider credentials at https://www.foxsports.com/ or in the FOX Sports app. The games can also be accessed at www.fox.com/sports or in the FOX Now app.
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team outscored Saint Louis 20-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away with the 71-64 win on the road Sunday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena. Three players scored in double figures which was led by Alex Richard who tallied 17 points.
- Ball State and UConn have met twice, with the all-time series record being tied at 1-1. The last time the Cardinals faced the Huskies was on Nov. 30, 2001 in Storrs, Conn., resulting in a 103-69 loss for the Ball State. The Cardinals defeated UConn at the LaSalle Invitational on Dec. 28, 1985 by an 83-73 decision.
- The game against UConn will be a bit of a family reunion as sisters Hana and Nika Mühl will face off against one another Wednesday night on the basketball court in Connecticut. The sisters are natives of Zagreb, Croatia.
- UConn is the second Power 5 program the Cardinals have faced in less than a two week span. The last time Ball State defeated a power 5 school was last season at Pitt by a score of 68-66 in overtime on Dec. 11.
- 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).
- It can be done, under the direction of 12th year head coach Brady Sallee the Cardinals have earned wins over six Power 5 schools — Minnesota (54-51, 2012-13), Iowa (77-72, 2015-16),
Vanderbilt (88-79, 2017-18), Purdue (66-60, 2017-18) and Pitt (68-66 OT, 2022-23).
- The last time Ball State defeated a top-25 nationally ranked opponent was on March 14, 2014 when the Cardinals upset then ranked No. 25 Bowling Green Falcons in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament by a score of 73-55.
Eighth Game of the Season:
- In her first six contests as a Cardinal, Nyla Hampton has stolen the ball 28 times and has dished out 31 assists. Hampton stole the ball eight times against Tennessee Tech (11/6/23) which marks a season best. Hampton is fifth in the nation currently in steals per game 4.0) and 7th in total steals (28).
- 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 (7.71) and 8th in turnovers forced per game (24.0). 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 27th in the country and first in the Mid-American Conference in assists per game (5.6).
- Madelyn Bischoff ranks 11th in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.29) and 17th in 3-point field goal percentage (50.0).
Career Milestones
- Ally Becki needs 168 points for 1,000, 120 assists and 82 rebounds to reach the 500 mark.
- Nyla Hampton needs 70 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.
Next Game:
The Cardinals will play at Western Kentucky Sunday at 3 pm ET in E.A. Diddle Arena. Sunday's meeting with the Lady Toppers is the 12th-all-time. The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 7-4. Prior to the 2021-22 season the Cardinals and the Lady Toppers had faced each other for eight-straight seasons. During that stretch, the Cardinals were the only non-conference team Western Kentucky had faced every year since 2013-14. Ball State won its last meeting over Western Kentukcy on Dec. 2, 2023 in Worthen Arena by a score of 82-76.
