PERFECT RECORD ON LINE

After two hard-fought, tough wins against Mid-American Conference opponents, the Ball State women’s basketball team still hasn’t gotten a break.  It will travel to Bowling Green tonight for its third conference game of the season.  The Falcons are 10-5 on the season, 1-1 in the conference.  Bowling Green beat Kent State by 36, then lost to Toledo in a tight battle, 48-38. Ball State coach Brady Sallee knows challenging Bowling Green will be difficult. “Knowing that program, and knowing the way they play, we’re going to have to be good at our ball screen defense,” Sallee said. Sallee singled out one player that his team will have to focus on.  “They’ve got a great player in Alexis Rogers,” Sallee said. “We’re going to have to come up with some sort of game plan to slow [her] down.” Rogers is a 6’1” forward who is averaging 10.3 points per game. Following a hot streak in late December, Rogers has cooled off lately. After five straight double-digit scoring games to go along with impressive rebounding totals, she won the MAC East Player of the Week award two straight weeks, on Dec. 24 and 31. Over those five games, Rogers averaged 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and four steals per game. Over the last two games since that mark, Rogers has averaged just 4.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. When Ball State played against Rogers and the rest of Bowling Green last season, she had just five points and four rebounds, but was hampered by foul trouble.  Despite her pedigree, Rogers isn’t the one who leads her team in scoring. That would be senior guard Chrissy Steffen.  Steffen, a native of nearby Carmel, Ind., is averaging 11.7 points per game this season. Last season against Bowling Green, Ball State guard Brittany Carter led her team with 11 points, but on 4-of-16 shooting. She went just 2-of-8 from three-point range. Bowling Green is in a similar situation to Ball State this season. Both teams have first-year head coaches leading their programs.  Bowling Green coach Jennifer Roos took over for Curt Miller, who moved on to Indiana’s women’s basketball head coaching position. “The biggest thing is we’re going to have to be tough on the road, and that’s one of the toughest places to play in the league,” Sallee said. “We’ll be anxious to get up there and match ourselves up against one of the best in our league and see what we’re about.”