Cardinals Battle Golden Flashes on ESPNU for Annual 'Think Pink' Game in Worthen Arena Saturday
February 21, 2025 | Women's Basketball
| Ball State Women's Basketball at Kent State | |
| Game 27 vs. Kent State | Saturday, Feb. 22 at 12:00Â p.m. Live Stats | ESPNUÂ | Listen |
| Tickets and Gameday Info |  Tickets  | Ball State Play 4 Kay Donation Link | Think Pink |
| Game Notes and Media Info | Ball State | Kent State |
| Social Media | X (Twitter)Â | Instagram | Facebook |
Opening Tip:
- Saturday's game against Kent State will mark the 70th time in program history the two schools have me with the Golden Flashes leading the all-time series, 44-25. The Cardinals won their first meeting against the Golden Flashes this season by a 66-57 decision at the M.A.C. Center.Â
- Brady Sallee is familiar with Kent State as he was an assistant coach with the Golden Flashes from 1995-2002 with former head coach Bob Lindsay.Â
- With the win at Eastern Michigan on Feb 15 the Cardinals secured their spot in the 2025 MAC Tournament in Cleveland (March 12-15). This marks the 35th appearance in the MAC Tournament in program history. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland 23 out of the past 25 seasons.  The Cardinals are 24-33 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. This is the 10th time in current head coach Brady Sallee's tenure the Cardinals have punched their ticket straight to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
- Ball State is looking to get back on the winning track after losing its first league game Wednesday night, falling to Toledo by a score of 70-66. Despit the loss, Alex Richard turned in a career high 33-point performance while also scoring her 1,000th career point. The Cardinals remain atop of the league standings with a 12-1 conference ledger.
- Kent State is looking for its first win in two games after falling to Miami (62-64) on Feb. 15 and at Buffalo (70-76) on Feb. 19. With the back-to-back losses and only five games left in the MAC regular season, the Golden Flashes currently sit in fifth place in the league standings.
- Today's contest will be the Women's Basketball Cancer Awareness game, and they are currently taking donations for the Play4Kay foundation. When you make a donation through the link there will be a chance to win an autographed jersey from this year's team! Link: https://support.kayyow.com/team/633644.
- The Cardinals have been road warriors the past four years during Mid-American Conference action. Ball State owns a 34-11 (.767) ledger when playing league games on the road dating back to 2021 which was their best showing as the Cardinals went 9-1 that year.
BSU on ESPNU:
The Ball State women's basketball team will play in a nationally televised regular season game on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. ET when it hosts Kent State in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals are the only league school to have been chosen to play on ESPNU three years in row. The contest will be a rematch of a game played on Jan. 15, with the Cardinals defeating the Golden Flashes, 66-57, at the M.A.C Center. With eight games remaining in the MAC regular season, the Cardinals (18-4, 10-0 MAC) remain atop of the league standings two games ahead of their counterparts. Ball State is the only team in conference play that is undefeated, and the Cardinals currently have won 12 in a row. This is the second time this season that the Cardinals will have played on a national stage. Ball State played on the CBS Sports Network on Jan. 20 and will now be on ESPNU.
The Possibility is Near:
With only five Mid-American Conference games left, Ball State remains atop of the league standings with a 12-1 MAC mark. The Cardinals are on pace to be crowned the MAC Regular Season Champions which hasn't been done since the 2002-03 season. It will mark only the third time in program history that the Ball State women's basketball team will have been crowned the regular season title the other year was in 2001-02. Â
Sideline Notes:
 - The Cardinals have held a halftime lead in 12 of their Mid-American Conference games so far this season. Ball State is 11-1 in those contests. BSU was knotted 32-32 at the half in its victory at EMU on Feb. 15.Â
- Ally Becki has made the ESPN top 10 plays twice this season. The senior is on pace to become the lone Division I player ever to average at least 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in every season since her freshman year in 2021-22.
- Alex Richard reached the 1,000 point club on Wednesday at Toledo with her 33-point career high performance. Richard who missed all but four non-conference games due to an injury came back at the start of MAC play on Jan. 1 against Miami. In the 14 games since her return she has averaged 16.6 points per game while pulling down 7.5 rebounds per contest. Richard has been efficient from the field as well shooting 54 percent.
Scouting Kent State:
- Preseason All-MAC First Team selection Jenna Batsch (16.5 ppg, 4.1 apg) is the only player in the conference averaging at least 16 points and four assists per game. Bridget Dunn (8.6 ppg) ranks fifth in the nation in defensive rebounding (8.2 drpg) and 33rd overall in rebounds per game (9.6). Mya Babbitt (12.3 ppg) leads the MAC with 68 three-pointers and has made 41.2% of attempts from beyond the arc. Janae Tyler (11.2 ppg) has emerged as a consistent inside scoring presence after missing the majority of the non-conference slate of games. Dionna Gray averages 8.2 points and 4.9 assists per game.
- The Golden Flashes (16-10, 8-5 MAC) seek to avoid three consecutive Mid-American Conference losses for the first time since a stretch during January 2019. Kent State led for more than 35 minutes Wednesday evening at Buffalo but was outscored 14-3 over the final 3:29 in the 76-70 setback. The Flashes led by 10 early in the fourth quarter and have now lost two in a row while leading at halftime. Sophomore Mya Babbitt and senior Jenna Batsch scored 17 points each to share the team lead, while sophomore Janae Tyler grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
