Ball State University
Ohio University
Women's Basketball Back to MAC Play With Road Game at Ohio
February 16, 2024 | Women's Basketball
The Cardinals look to remain in the top spot in the league standings Saturday in Athens
Ball State (21-3, 10-1) at Ohio (7-15, 4-7 MAC)
February 17, 2024 >> Convocation Center >>Athens, Ohio>> 1 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- Ball State looks to remain atop of the Mid-American Conference standings Saturday afternoon when it takes to the road playing at Ohio for a 1 pm ET tipoff in the Convocation Center. The
Cardinals just faced the Bobcats two games ago when Ball State hosted Ohio on Feb. 3 in Worthen Arena which resulted in a 97-66 victory for the Cardinals.
- The Cardinals have held a halftime lead in eight of their 11 Mid-American Conference games so far this season. Ball State is 9-1 in those contests.
- The Cardinals got back on the winning track last Sunday on the CBS Sports Network after defeating James Madison in Muncie by a 72-57 decision. It marked the second game of the MAC-SBC Challenge with Ball State winning both this season after defeating Troy on the road in November. For the game, Marie Kiefer led BSU with 19 points.
- For the seventh time under 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee and the second season in a row, the Cardinals reached the 20-win plateau after Ball State's 97-66 defeat over Ohio University
Saturday afternoon in Worthen Arena. Sallee's 20-win seasons at Ball State are — 22-10 (2015-16), 21-11 (2016-17) 25-7 (2017-18), 21-10 (2019-20), 20-13 (2021-22), 26-9 (2022-23) and 21-3 (2023-24).
- With only seven Mid-American Conference games left, Ball State still sits atop of the league standings with a 10-1 mark. The Cardinals and the Rockets are knotted with the same league record but right now Ball State wins the tiebreaker since the Cardinals defeated Toledo, 65-51, on Jan. 21 in Worthen Arena. The two teams will face each other again on Feb. 24 at 2 pm ET in John F. Savage Arena.
- Saturday's game against Ohio will mark the 72nd time in program history the two schools have met with the Bobcats leading the all-time series record, 39-32.
Amongst the Elite:
The Cardinals are getting noticed on a national level as Ball State continues to receive votes in the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Ball State is currently one of 16 NCAA DI teams that have a 10-1 record in conference play. The Cardinals are also one of 10 NCAA DI teams that have only three losses so far this season. Two of the Cardinals losses this season came against national powerhouses No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 10 UConn. Ball State is the only MAC school to receive votes so far this season. Ball State also is tied with Indiana for the highest win percentage out of any NCAA DI program in the state of Indiana 21-3 (.875). This is the fourth week in a row the Cardinals have received votes.
1 More Win Gets Us In:
A Cardinal win Saturday against the Bobcats will secure Ball State a spot in the upcoming 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament (March 13-16) in Cleveland. It will be the ninth time in current head coach Brady Sallee's tenure the Cardinals have punched their ticket straight to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
Game Day Tidbits:
- In 24 contests as a Cardinal, Nyla Hampton has stolen the ball 81 times and has dished out 121 assists. Hampton stole the ball eight times against Tennessee Tech (11/6/23) and Northern Illinois (2/7/24. Hampton is fifth in the nation in total steals (81) and ranks fourth in steals per game (3.38).
- The Cardinals as a team rank in the top 100 in these categories: 11th in winning percentage (87.5), 16th in 3-pointers per game (8.8), 18th turnover margin (5.25), 28th in turnovers forced per game (20.08), 29th in steals per game (10.8), 32nd in 3-point field goal percentage (35.6), 35th in 3-point field goal attempts (24.7), 37th in field goal percentage (45.4), 37th in bench points (45.4), 45th in scoring margin (12.7), assists per game (16.1), 48th in scoring offense (74.5) and 50th in assist/turnover ratio (1.09).
- Madelyn Bischoff ranks 13th in 3-pointers per contest in the country (2.96), 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (44.7) and 17th in total 3-pointers (68).
MAC Tourney Appearances:
This season will mark the 34th appearance 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. Ball State defeated Bowling Green in 2009 in the MAC Tournament Championship game.
