Ball State University Athletics
WBB Hits the Road For Final Time in Non-Conference Action Sunday at Northern Kentucky
December 14, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (6-4) vs. Northern Kentucky (2-8)
Dec. 15, 2024 >>Truist Arena>>3:30 pm ET>>Highland Heights, Ky.
Opening Tip:
- Ball State and Northern Kentucky face off for the first time since the 2013-14 season when the Cardinals defeated the Norse by a score of 67-63 on Dec. 21, 2013. This marks only the third-ever meeting between Ball State and Northern Kentucky with the first meeting taking place at Worthen Arena when the Norse defeated the Cardinals by a score of 69-67 on Dec. 8, 2012.
- The Cardinals are looking to get back on the winning track after suffering an 80-48 setback at No. 11 Ohio State Tuesday night in Columbus. BSU was led offensively by Maliyah "MJ" Johnson with 10 points.
- The NCAA Division I net rankings have been released (Dec. 8) with the Cardinals being ranked in the top 70 coming in at 68. Ball State has earned in the highest net ranking out of all the schools in the Mid-American Conference.
- After today's contest, Ball State will return home for their final contest of 2024 at Worthen Arena on Dec. 19, against Anderson University at 6:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are available for $1.00 for that game and make sure you wear an ugly Christmas sweater.
- The month of December has been good to the Cardinals their last two seasons. Ball State owns a 12-4 ledger during the festive holiday month from 2022- present.
- So far this season, senior guard Ally Becki is leading the way in scoring with 138 points while averaging 13.8 points per contest. Becki also has dished out 57 total assists averaging 5.7 assists per contest and is on pace to become the program's all-time assists leader. Becki has 562 career assists and is need of 67 to move into second place. Currently, former Ball State guard Shala Crook ranks second with 628 assists.
- A native of Lexington, Kentucky, 13th-year head coach Brady Sallee returns to his home state Sunday where he played collegiate baseball and served as a student assistant with the women's basketball team at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky from 1990 to 1993.
Return of the MAC:
The Cardinals are set to face 18-game conference slate with the addition of two contests being played in the second year of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Ball State women's basketball team opens its 2025 18-game MAC campaign which will include nine games at home and nine on the road over a 10-week span with a break in February for the second year of the Sun Belt Conference Challenge on Feb. 8. The Cardinals will start conference action at Miami (Jan. 1). Ball State's home league opener is slated for Jan. 4 versus Central Michigan and then BSU will close out MAC play in Worthen Arena against Ohio (March 8).
Home Sweet Home:
John E. Worthen Arena has been very good to the Cardinals for the past decade. Ball State has a record of 192-87 (.654) at Worthen Arena from 2004-present. In 13 seasons Brady Sallee has compiled a 126-56 (.691) record in Worthen Arena. His best season at home was in 2022-23 when the Cardinals went 15-1 in Worthen.
Lachelle Austin Nearing 1,000 Career Points:
The Cardinals welcomed transfer Lachelle Austin to its 2024-25 roster this season. Austin, a senior, is familiar with the Mid-American Conference, playing three years at Eastern Michigan. Austin was one of the Eagles top scorers and has scored in double figure in six of the Cardinals' seven contests thus far this season. Austin for her career has 918 points and needs just 82 to reach 1,000.
