Ball State University
Kent State University
WBB Looks to Stay Atop of the MAC Standings Saturday at Home Against Kent State
February 03, 2023 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals are currently undefeated at home in Worthen Arena (11-0) and have won six-straight
Feb. 4  | Muncie, Ind. | Worthen Arena | 11 am ET
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team looks to improve to a 9-1start in Mid-American Conference play for the first time since the 2001-02 season when the Cardinals went 10-1 that year. Ball State will look to improve to 12-0 at home and also win its seventh-straight when it hosts Kent State Saturday in Worthen Arena. Currently, the Caridnals are tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference standings with Bowling Green.Â
- The Cardinals are coming off of a gritty win over the Huskies Wednesday. Ball State defeated Northern Illinois by a score of 75-68 in Worthen Arena. Redshirt senior Anna Clephane led all scorers with 16 points. Defensively, sophomore Marie Kiefer pulled down a team high 10 rebounds.
- Kent State is looking to extend its win streak to four after recently beating Northern Illinois (82-61), Western Michigan (64-38) and Akron (57-55).
- Saturday's game against Kent State will mark the 65th time in program history the two schools have me with the Golden Flashes leading the all-time series, 42-22.
- Ball State head coach Brady Sallee is familiar with the Golden Flashes, he was an assistant women's basketball coach from 1996-2002 under former legendary head coach Bob Lindsay.
 - Ball State 11th-year head coach Brady Sallee knows how to win in the month of February. Under Sallee, the Cardinals have a 45-30 (.600) overall record for the shortest month of the year. Sallee's most successful February was in 2019-20 after the Cardinals posted a 7-1 record that year.
- The Cardinals fell to the Golden Flashes last season in both their home and away meetings. Ball State lost to Kent State 51-54 in Muncie Jan. 9, 2022 and then at Kent State, 62-67, Feb. 16.
Home Sweet Home:
John E. Worthen Arena has been very good to the Cardinals for the past decade. Ball State has a record of 170-85 (.653) at Worthen Arena from 2004-present. In 11 seasons Brady Sallee has compiled a 105-50 (.658) record in Worthen Arena. His best season at home was in 2017- 18 when the Cardinals went 15-3 in Muncie. So far this season the Cardinals are undefeated at home with a 11-0 mark.
When BSU Scores 80+ We Win:
When the Cardinals score 80+ points this season it results in a victory for Ball State. The Cardinals are 9-0 when the reach the 80 point plateau with wins over Indiana University East (105-51), Butler (84-68), Utah State (80-55), Western Kentucky (82-76), Saint Louis (85-51), Tarleton State (80-77), Chicago State (119-53), Bowling Green (81-73), Miami (92-61), Buffalo (81-59) and Akron (89-66).
Scouting Kent State:
- Kent State's defense has been among the best in the MAC this season. The Flashes lead the conference in scoring defense (60.5 ppg) and rank second in field goal percentage defense (.377). Kent State is 13-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points and 5-0 when opposing teams shoot less than 30% from the field.
- Forward Lindsey Thall is the top scorer at 11.9 points per game and has also totaled team-best marks of 34 three-pointers and 19 blocked shots. Thall is Kent State's all-time leader with 252 triples, which ranks 21st among active NCAA Division I players, and ranks 10th among active players in career blocks (189).
- The first-ever meeting between Ball State and Kent State was the 1979-80 season. The Golden Flashes won that meeting by a score of 84-59 in Ohio.Â
In the Nation:
Nationally the Cardinals rank 16th in scoring offense (79.3), 18th in 3-pointers per game (8.6), 38th in 3-point field goal attempts (24.6), 16th in field goal percentage (46.6), 21st in assists per game (16.9), 85th in free throw attempts (19.0), 81st in free throws made per game (13.4) and 25th in winning percentage (81.0). The Cardinals currently sit at No. 9 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, the second highest of any MAC team.
