Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Miami University (OH)
Women's Basketball Wraps Up MAC Regular Season Action at Rival Miami Saturday
March 03, 2023 | Women's Basketball
March 4 | Oxford, Ohio | Millett Hall | 1 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team closes its Mid-American Conference regular season at Miami Saturday at Millett Hall. The contest will tipoff at 1 pm ET. The Cardinals are 8-5 on the road this season and are 7-3 under head coach Brady Sallee in their regular season finale.
- The Cardinal have already earned a spot in the upcoming 2023 Mid-American Conference Tournament next week in Cleveland, Ohio. Ball State is locked in at the No. 3 seed. If the tournament were to start today the Cardinals would face No. 6 Akron or Western Michigan in game No. 4.
- The Cardinals currently have 23 wins with one game 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.
- Behind 24 points from Ivy Wolf and 22 from Peyton Scott, the Miami University women's basketball team picked up an 81-75 win over Ohio University in the Battle of the Bricks on Wednesday night. Miami closed the contest on a 14-6 run to keep its hopes alive for the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
- Saturday's game against Miami will mark the 72nd time in program history the two schools have met with the RedHawks leading the all-time series 40-31. Ball State won the first meeting against Miami earlier this season in Worthen Arena after defeating the RedHawks, 92-61, Jan. 14.
- Since the 1989-90 season, the Cardinals have won 21 of the last 31 meetings against the Red- Hawks. Out of all the Ball State women's basketball coaches, Brady Sallee owns the best record over Miami at 12-1.
- The RedHawks are the closest MAC school in proximity to Ball State. The distance from Millett Hall to Worthen Arena is exactly 76 miles door-to-door.
Fast Facts:
- Redshirt senior Anna Clephane has 1,225 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 90 and so far has 42 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.
A 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).
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.
Where the Cardinals Rank:
Nationally the Cardinals rank 19th in scoring offense (77.8), 29th in 3-pointers per game (8.2), 49th in 3-point field goal attempts (23.8), 15th in field goal percentage (46.5), 24th in assists per game (16.6), 31st in scoring margin (12.9), 21st in assist/turnover ratio (1.23) and 32nd in winning percentage (79.3). Individually, Ally Becki is 12th in assist/turnvoer ration (2.53), 20th in assists per game (8.2)and 23rd in total assists (149) she also leads the MAC in all three categories. The Cardinals currently sit at No. 9 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, the third highest of any MAC team.
Scouting Miami the RedHawks:
- The RedHawks have three of the top-10 scorers in the MAC, highlighted by Ivy Wolf (16.7, 6th), Peyton Scott (15.7, 9th) and Maddi Cluse (15.0, 10th). Combined, the trio scores on average 47 of Miami's 70 points per contest. On Wednesday, the trip combined for 60 in the win at Ohio and had 66 back on Feb. 22 in the win over NIU.
- As a team, Miami is third in the conference in free throw percentage (76.6%). Individually, Ivy Wolf ranks first in the MAC (90.4%) and Peyton Scott is sixth (85.2%).
- With just one game remaining in the MAC regular season, Miami can finish anywhere from fifth to 10th in the conference standings (top-8 advance to Cleveland). A Miami win, combined with an NIU and Akron loss would place the RedHawks fifth, but a loss by Miami would put a trip to Cleveland in question.
