Ball State University
University of Toledo
Women's Basketball Travels to Toledo Saturday for a MAC First Place Showdown
February 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (23-3, 12-1) at Toledo (20-4, 12-1)
February 24, 2024 >> John F. Savage Arena >>Toledo, Ohio>>Â 2 pm ET
Opening Tip:
- The Ball State women's basketball team will play in a nationally televised regular season game on Wednesday, March 6, at 5 p.m. ET when it takes on Kent State at the M.A.C Center. The Cardinals are the only league school to have been chosen to play on ESPNU two years in row. The contest will be a rematch of a game played on Jan. 31, with the Cardinals defeating the Golden Flashes, 57-46, in Worthen Arena.Â
- Ball State has won three games in a row. The Cardinals recently defeated the Chippewas for the second time this season Wednesday in Worthen Arena by a score of 78-54. Alex Richard led the Cardinals with a career best 22 points.
 - The Cardinals have held a halftime lead in nine of their 12 Mid-American Conference games so far this season. Ball State is 10-1 in those contests.Â
- For the seventh time under 12th-year head coach Brady Sallee and the second season in a row, the Cardinals have reached the 20-win plateau. 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 22-3 (2023-24).
- With only six Mid-American Conference games left, Ball State still sits atop of the league standings with a 12-1 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.Â
-Â Saturday's contest marks the 93rd time in program history the two schools have met with Toledo leading the all-time series record, 61-31. The last time Ball State won on the road at Toledo was on Feb. 27, 2021 by a score of 88-77.Â
- Toledo's only loss this season in league action was against Ball State. The heated rivalry began on Jan. 3 in 1981 when the Cardinals beat the Rockets by a 63-47 decision in Muncie.
Career Milestones
- Ally Becki needs 30 assists 500 mark.
- Marie Kiefer has 125 blocks for her career -- needs 27 to move into first place.
-Annie Rauch has 973 points for her career and needs 38 for 1,000.
Among 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 14 NCAA DI teams that have a 12-1 record in conference play. The Cardinals are also one of 12 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 has the highest win percentage out of any NCAA DI program in the state of Indiana 22-3 (.885). This is the fifth week in a row the Cardinals have received votes.
Inside The Paint:
So far this season Ball State is 13-0 when winning the paint battle; vs. Tennessee Tech (54-32), Troy (48-34), Chicago State (42-22), Northern Iowa (32-30), IUPUI (30-30), Saint Louis (36-36), Oakland City (36-16), Western Michigan (44-28), Bowling Green (32-24), Central Michigan (24-20), Miami (34-18), Eastern Michigan (34-28), Kent State (30-26), Ohio (40-30) and Central Michigan (50-30).
Scouting Toledo:
- Toledo had won 21 straight games vs. Mid-American Conference opponents, including three postseason games which at the time was the fifth-longest streak in the nation before losing to the Cardinals on Jan. 21.
- Since the Rockets lost to the Cardinals they have won eight straight contests.Â
- The Rockets are 78-15 (.837) since the start of the 2021-22 season, 47-4 (.920) in MAC play.
- Toledo is 24-1 in home MAC games since the beginning of the 2021-22 season and has won 20 straight MAC games in Savage Arena.
- Tricia Cullop is in her 16th season with the Rockets in 2023-24 and was awarded a contract extension last April that lasts through the 2029-30 season.
