Ball State University
Bowling Green
WBB Faces BGSU Wednesday on a National Stage in Midweek MAC Showdown
February 28, 2023 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals and the Falcons will be televised live on ESPNU at 5 pm ET at the Stroh Center
March 1 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Stroh Center | 5 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team looks to improve to 14-3 in Mid-American Conference play after losing a 72-70 heartbreaker to Toledo Saturday afternoon in Worthen Arena. Bowling Green suffered a loss too this past weekend after falling at home to Buffalo, 84-66.
- The remaining two games will have a lot riding on them as Ball State and Bowling Green are tied currently for second in the MAC standings. As of now, the Cardinals have head-to-head tie breaker over the Falcons after defeating BGSU in both teams league opener in Worthen Arena by a score of 81-73, Jan. 4.Â
- Tonight's contest will be Ball State women's basketball first regular season nationally televised on ESPNU when it takes on Bowling Green at the Stroh Center.
- The Cardinals currently have 23 wins with four games left and the MAC Tournament on the horizon, Ball State has the potential to have the best record in program history. The Cardinals are three wins away from tying the program record which is 26-9 in 2008-09.Â
- Ball State and Bowling Green have met a total of 72 times in program history with the Falcons leading the all-time series record, 46-26. In their last meeting, the Cardinals defeated the Falcons in Worthen Arena Jan. 4, 2022 by a score of 81-73. Ball State has won two of its last three meetings against Bowling Green,
- Ball State and Bowling Green's first-ever meeting was in 1974-75, the Cardinals defeated the Falcons by a score of 58-52 in Terre Haute, Ind.
- Prior to the Saturday's contest, the Cardinals will say good-bye to seniors Anna Clephane and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir.Â
Fast Facts:
- Redshirt senior Anna Clephane has 1,210 points for her career and became the 10th player under Brady Sallee to reach the 1,000 point milestone against Miami (1/14/23). Clephane is first on the team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game.
 - 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 89 and so far has 41 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 91 three's so far this season. Agustsdottir has 309 total 3-pointers for her career and sits in second place all-time. She needs 15 more to take the top spot which is currently being held by former Cardinal and current associate head coach Audrey Spencer (2006-10) with 323 3-pointers. Agustsdottir right now ranks sixth in the nation in made 3-pointers (91), sixth in 3-pointers per game (3.14) and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (42.7). She also leads the MAC in those categories.
Sallee Enters Year 11:
Sallee enters his 11th season at the helm of the Cardinals, already the winningest coach in program history. He touts a record of 206-138 (.598) in just 11 seasons and has guided Ball State to seven postseason Women's National Invitation Tournaments, a WNIT Final 16 appearance, a Mid-American Conference West Division title (2014), nine MAC Tournament appearances and five 20-plus win seasons, a feat no head coach at Ball State had done before him.
Career Night for Thelma:
Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir scored a career-high 34 points and tied the program's single-game 3-point record with nine to help lift Ball State past Ohio Feb. 15 in Worthen Arena with a 78-53 win over the Bobcats.Â
CSC Academic All-District:
Both Anna Clephane and Thelma Dis Agustsdottir have been tabbed to the 2023 CSC Academic All-District Team. The 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Basketball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.
The Next Game:
The Cardinals close out their regular season when Ball State travels to Mid-American Conference rival Miami Saturday for a 1 pm ET start in Millett Hall. Since the 1989-90 season, the Cardinals have won 21 of the last 31 meetings against the RedHawks. Out of all the Ball State women's basketball coaches, Brady Sallee owns the best record over Miami at 12-1.
Look Back At MAC Tourney 2022:
The Ball State women's basketball team was the No. 5 seed last season at the 2022 MAC Tournament. The Cardinals knocked off No. 4 Northern Illinois (60-54) in the quarterfinals and then pulled off the 71-66 upset against top-seeded Toledo in the semi's. Ball State advanced to the title game for the sixth time in program history and the second time under head coach Brady Sallee. The Cardinals fell to the second-seeded Bulls in the championship by a slim four-point margin (79-75).Â
MAC Tourney Time:
This marks the 33rd appearance for the Cardinals in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in program history. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland 21 out of the past 23 seasons. The Cardinals are 22-31 all-time in MAC Tournament play and have advanced to the MAC Tournament finals on six occasions. Â
