Senior Madelyn Bischoff is officially back.
Even if the senior returned to action in a Ball State win over the University of Northern Iowa last weekend, she did not hit one of her signature 3-pointers.
In the second quarter against No. 16 ranked North Carolina University, Bischoff hit her first 3-pointer of the season.
Bischoff finished with a game-high 19 points but was unable to defeat the ranked Tar Heels, and Ball State lost 63-52.
“I'm really glad that I was able to come back in time to play because we're not going to get this moment back,” Bischoff said. “Even though we didn't win, I do think that this is really going to help us in the long run.”
The 63-52 loss is the closest Ball State has played a ranked opponent in recent years. The Cardinals lost to No. 9 Notre Dame in 2022 by 35 and also lost to the No. 14 Irish in 2023 by 31. The 2023 Cardinals also lost to No. 17 UConn by 27.
But today, Ball State only lost by 11.
Head coach Brady Sallee said there are many things the Cardinals will take from the loss, but above all, Sallee said he learned he has a really good basketball team alongside him.
“Some of our undisciplined decisions, they [UNC] exploited and took advantage of it,” Sallee said. “...They're a whale of a basketball team, and we understand that, but we feel like we got pretty good too.”
The Cardinals were able to tighten the score multiple times but were never able to take the lead late in the third and fourth quarters.
Sallee said the Cardinals were able to get good looks in the fourth quarter but the Tar Heels defense made it difficult for Ball State to score. He said the Tar Heels took advantage of Ball State’s mistakes like over-helping on defense, screens and more.
Senior Marie Kiefer was quick to move on from this loss, already focusing on the two other games in the following days.
“We just have to move on. We cannot dwell on this for long,” Kiefer said.
Kiefer ended with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, but the senior started her night going 4-for-4 from the field and only shot the ball two times after halftime.
Sallee said the hard-fought game was one without any flow for both teams. Alongside the clunkiness of play, Sallee said the fouls and stoppage for the scoreboard hindered any momentum as well.
The scoreboard went out for around five minutes in the opening few minutes of the fourth quarter and play was halted until the issue was resolved.
“It felt very much like a postseason game, with the choppiness, and the whistles, and the stoppages,” Sallee said. “I do not think either team really felt good about the flow that was out there.”
Bischoff said playing in a game that has an unusual feel will help the Cardinals in the long run when that style of play is needed in the season’s closing games. She also said today proves the Cardinals need to have more confidence in the offense they put out on the floor.
Ball State will be back in action in less than 24 hours to face the loser of Texas A&M and Villanova Nov. 24 at 9 p.m.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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