Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Central Michigan University
Women's Basketball Looks to Stay Atop of the MAC Standings at CMU Wednesday
January 16, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (14-2, 4-0 MAC) vs Central Michigan (2-11, 1-3 MAC)
January 17, 2024 >>McGuirk Arena >Mount Pleasant, Mich.>> 11 am ET
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team looks to remain undefeated in Mid-American Conference action while also extending its win streak to nine when it travels to Central Michigan for an 11 am ET tip in McGuirk Arena Wednesday. The Cardinals are coming off of a 76-61 victory over Bowling Green in Worthen Arena Saturday.
- It may be early into the conference season but there are three teams fighting for the top stop in the MAC standings -- Ball State (4-0), Toledo (4-0) and Kent State (4-0). The Cardinals are the only team in conference play that has only two losses with an overall mark of 14-2. Ball State and rival Toledo will battle it out on Sunday in Worthen Arena on CBS Sports.
- Wednesday's game against Central Michigan will mark the 87th time the teams have met, with the Chippewas leading the all-time series record, 44-42. The Cardinals have won five of their last six meetings against the Chippewas.
- Central Michigan is under the direction of first-year head coach Kristin Haynie. The Chippewas have struggled on the court this season with only two wins under their belt. CMU is coming off of a road win at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. The Chippewas defeated the Eagles, 64-60.
- The last time the Cardinals started MAC play with a 5-0 mark waas in 2002-03 under former head coach Tracy Roller. That season Ball State knocked off Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Ohio and Bowling Green.
- Nyla Hampton is five points shy of 1,000 career points when she enters play at Central Michigan. Hampton finished her career at Bowling Green with 865 points and she has totaled 130 point thus far for her career as a Cardinal for a total of 995 career points.
- Ball State and Central Michigan first met in 1977-78 on Jan. 14 in Muncie, Ind., resulting in a 70-66 victory for the Cardinals.
Game Day Tidbits:
- In her first 16 contests as a Cardinal, Nyla Hampton has stolen the ball 59 times and has dished out 77 assists. Hampton stole the ball eight times against Tennessee Tech (11/6/23) which marks a season best for her. Hampton is third in the nation in total steals (59) and ranks fifth in steals per game (3.69).
- The Cardinals as a team rank in the top 100 in these categories: 20th in winning percentage (87.5), 25th in three pointers per game (8.7), 27th in steals per game (11.0), 35th in three point field goal attempts (24.9), 37th in turnover margin (4.81), 40th in turnovers forced per game (19.88), 46th in bench points (24.6), 60th in assists per game (15.9), 61st in assist/turnover ratio (1.06), 62nd in three point percentage (34.8), 66th field goal percentage (44.4), 73rd in scoring offense (73.9) and 93 in scoring margin (9.2).
- Madelyn Bischoff ranks 7th in 3-pointers per contest in the country (3.20), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage (45.3) and 13th in total 3-pointers (48).
Career Milestones:
- Ally Becki needs 46 points for 1,000, 72 assists and 27 rebounds to reach the 500 mark.
- Nyla Hampton needs five points for 1,000.
- Marie Kiefer has 113 blocks for her career -- needs 39 to move into first place.
In the MAC:
The Cardinals sit atop of the Mid-American Conference with a 14-2 non-conference mark. Ball State is the only school in league play that has only two losses. As a team, the Cardinals rank first in the MAC in bench points per game (24.6), field goal percentage (44.4), steals per game (11.0), three pointers per game (8.7), turnover margin (4.81) and winning percentage (87.5).
Sallee Is Hot in January:
- It may be cold outside but the Cardinals tend to get hot in the month of January under 112th-year head coach Brady Sallee. Sallee owns an overall record of 63-29 (.684) in the month of January dating back to his first season in 2012-13.
