After an improbable Mid-American Conference opening win Thursday, Ball State will face Northern Illinois on the road today, in an attempt to go 2-0 in the conference for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The Huskies will face the Cardinals Sunday on a two-game losing streak after falling to Valparaiso and Buffalo. The latter loss came in Northern Illinois’ MAC opener.
The Bulls beat the Huskies 60-53, despite Amanda Corral, Northern Illinois’ leading scorer, putting up 18 points on the Bulls defense.
Corral has averaged 13 points per game this season.
One thing Ball State doesn’t have going for it in the game is the fact that the game won’t be played at home. Northern Illinois is 1-7 on the road this season, and 4-2 everywhere else.
Meanwhile, Ball State has a similar challenge. The Cardinals are just 1-6 away from Worthen Arena, and haven’t had a road win since Nov. 23.
Ball State coach Brady Sallee said that last week his team had its best week of practice since he’s been coach.
“At the end of the day, being a great practice team gets you somewhere,” Sallee said after Thursday’s win. “I think we’re starting to figure that out.”
On paper, Ball State should be able to continue its dominance on the boards. Northern Illinois’ leading rebounder, Corral, is averaging just 4.6 per game.
Corral is a sophomore guard from Hobart, Ind. She scored just 13 total points in two games against the Cardinals last season, but has increased her scoring load this season.
Last season, Ball State split its two games with Northern Illinois on the way to a 4-12 conference record.
At Northern Illinois last year, Ball State point guard Brandy Woody scored a team-high 13 points and collected nine rebounds, in a game where the rest of her team shot 28 percent.
Read More
Delaware County Athlete of the Week nominees
By Staff Reports / 30 minutes agoHere are the nominees for the Delaware County Athlete of the Week from the week of Nov. 25 to Nov. 30.
Ball State women’s basketball falters against South Dakota State
By Elijah Poe / 21 hours agoBall State women's basketball falls to 5-3 on the season after losing to South Dakota State. The loss marks the first time since the 2022-23 season that Ball State women’s basketball has lost two regular season games in a row.
