The second game Ball State played in the Battle 4 Atlantis was exactly what the Cardinals needed. A high-scoring and gritty win against a quality Power Four opponent. Ball State came out on top of Sunday’s shootout against Texas A&M, 75-62.
Coming off a physical loss against North Carolina the night prior, Ball State head coach Brady Sallee was ready to move forward and see what his team had to offer. It's safe to say Sallee was pleased, after beating a team that went to the NCAA tournament last season, by double digits.
“We laid our hearts out last night,” he said. “I was eager to see what we had in the tank and how we could reach down and play as tough as we were going to have to play against a really physical and talented Texas A&M team.”
The first half was all Ball State, with the Cardinals going on several scoring runs and leading by as many as 12 at one point. The largest first-half run came over a four-minute period that saw the Cardinals go on a 13-to-2 run. After trailing for four minutes and holding tied for one more minute, Ball State took the lead and never looked back.
Senior Madelyn Bischoff made her third appearance after an injury to open the season. Bischoff picked up right where she left off against North Carolina and continued to rain down 3-pointers on Texas A&M, where she was an impressive 5-for-8 from deep.
Bischoff and fellow senior Ally Becki being back on the floor together is an offensive nightmare for opponents. The shot-making ability of both players is difficult to gameplan against and makes defense more difficult for opposing teams.
“I feel like it's opened the floor up for us for a lot,” Becki said. “A lot of players are sticking on her, especially since she's a shooter.
It allows us to drive into the lane and teams won’t help on us when we drive or kick with her on the floor.”
Texas A&M had a third-quarter run and cut the 10-point half-time Cardinal lead to as close as six. Although the Aggies went on a run, Ball State’s offense took over and pulled away.
According to Sallee, the difference maker tonight was ball movement and limiting turnovers. Ball State did so effectively, only coughing up 12 turnovers to Texas A&M’s 18. Of those turnovers, Ball State capitalized by scoring 29 points off those takeaways.
With Bischoff back on the floor, the confidence level of every player has been boosted. Senior transfer Lachelle Austin knows when Bischoff puts it up, it usually goes down.
“Having her back allows us to attack on offense more,” she said. “When [Bischoff] shoots it, I'm already running back. I know she’s ready to shoot it every time, and she usually drains it.”
Although the opening contest did not sway in favor of the Cardinals, Sallee knows tournaments and games like these are instrumental in development throughout the season. Taking hits against quality opponents and turning them into lessons are just as important as getting big wins.
“It's the reason you come to play in tournaments like this, to play really good basketball teams on a neutral floor,” he said. “We were disappointed last night, but it didn’t mean we didn't play well. We played well again tonight and we get to enjoy a win.
“But way more important than this win and yesterday's defeat, are the lessons we take from this.”
Competing in gritty games early in the season puts the Cardinals in a spot where Sallee wants them to be. Playing in tough games now identifies the personality and moxy of the team moving forward.
“You've got a chance to learn so much about yourself,” he said. “I told them, we played really good basketball for two nights. We played through physicality and we were just fine in the middle of it.”
The competition does not get any lighter moving forward. Taking lessons from the North Carolina loss and the tournament as a whole will play a major role in what Sallee’s team can do in its remaining non-conference games and MAC schedule.
“Those are things we have to put in our toolbox and move forward with and force the teams we're going to see down the road to play to that level,” he said.
Becki did not put up the typical high point total fans are used to seeing. She did lead the team with nine assists, a stat she has quietly been climbing on the Ball State leaderboard.
“I feel like I always kind of shoot for perfection, but no one's perfect,” she said. “So, I'm just glad we got out of here with the win and I'm very happy with the way that everyone played. I just had to get them the ball and they made all the plays.”
Ball State will play Columbia in the consolation side championship Monday night at 5 p.m. Although not as high-powered of a team as North Carolina or Texas A&M, the Lions are not a team to scoff at.
“The thing we don't want to do is now go and play to somebody else's level that we're not used to competing against. You do this as a coach when you really trust that you have a basketball team like I have. I know they’re up for it and we’re looking forward to ending this thing on a high note tomorrow.”
The biggest takeaway from the last two games for Salle has been the togetherness his team has displayed. The pieces are coming together and have made his job easier.
“The most important part was that we stayed together,” he said “Last night was not exactly what we wanted, but we found a way to stay together. Tonight we put it all together, and we came away with one.”
Ball State has one more game to cap off its road trip in the Bahamas. The Cardinals will return to their fans in Worthen Arena Dec. 1 against South Dakota State at 1 p.m.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
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