Wanting a tougher non-conference schedule, Ball State women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee got that when his team opened the season on the road against Purdue University.
The team fell short on Sunday with a final score of 57-63. The Boilermakers, ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press preseason poll, were just one installment in Sallee’s upgraded non-conference schedule.
The second-year coach wants to put his team on the biggest stages possible throughout non-conference play. Sallee said the big-time atmosphere at Mackey Arena paired with the competition level of Purdue gave his young team a legitimate test.
“I think we learned a lot about ourselves, and now we’ve got something real to build on,” he said. “We stacked up against Purdue. That’s real.”
For most of the first half, it looked as though Ball State might do more than just stack up against its Big Ten opponent. A 15–6 run capped by a three-pointer from junior Brittany Carter gave the Cardinals a 21-12 lead at the 7:22 mark in the first.
A 17-11 rebounding advantage highlighted Ball State’s ability to control the boards in the first half. Purdue was 8-for-36 from the floor in the first half, but managed just eight offensive rebounds.
The Cardinals’ size was critical in limiting the Boilermakers scoring, but also in capitalizing on the missed shots. The reigning Big Ten champions were far from finished, though.
A 14-5 run over the next seven minutes led to the teams being tied at 26 going into the half. The Cardinals suffered 16 turnovers in the first half, a trend that would continue in the second.
“When you turn the ball over that much, you’re kind of putting yourself in a hole — especially against a good basketball team on the road — that just proved to be too deep to dig out of,” Sallee said.
Ball State did its best to climb back into the game after trailing for most of the second half. Facing a nine-point deficit with less than four minutes left, the Cardinals put up a final surge.
Carter, who finished the game with a team-high 19 points, sunk back-to-back three pointers to help pull Ball State within three points. The clock, which had already dipped below one minute, began to work against Ball State at that point.
Purdue showed its experience in the final minutes as the team continued to hit critical free throws and hold Ball State at bay. The Boilermakers finished the game 17-of-17 at the free throw line.
Purdue was led in scoring by KK Houser, who at one point scored 15 consecutive points for the Boilermakers. Courtney Moses, an All-Big Ten player a year ago, was held scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.
Sallee was glad to see his team contain the Boilermakers scorers and stick to what he called an “interesting game plan” to guard key players. It’s early in the season, and at this point, it’s all about keeping things in perspective.
“At the end of the day, the first game of the year, you’re going to have some lumps and you’re going to do some things not very well,” Sallee said. “I think with the way we defended and the way we rebounded, that bodes well for what we can do with this team.”
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