It had been 288 days since the Ball State women’s basketball team last took to the court.
For the past 30 years, the first gameday for head coach Brady Sallee has never felt different. He jested he might be older, uglier, and balder but his first-game feelings never fade away.
“You wake up, and the first thing I did was look at the slate of games all day,” Sallee said. “While I was watching film and trying to get ready for this one I got those games in the background. It just seemed like all was well now.”
With basketball season now officially underway, the Cardinals defeated Old Dominion 60-46 to start their season 1-0.
Sallee started his opening statement by saying he was grateful to learn from a win but was more grateful to see the Ball State faithful turnout for the Cardinals.
Sallee said he was interested to see what fans would bring. In the period between football and basketball, he was genuinely unsure who would show out. But the support was nothing but “eclectic,” Sallee said.
“Credit to our players, because they built this thing to where the crowd is,” Sallee said. “1700 plus and it got loud in there, student section, the band, it was a great atmosphere.”
Graduate student Elise Stuck, who transferred from Michigan and is a lifelong Michiganian, said she always noticed the winning numbers Ball State was putting up. Now, the graduate student is a Cardinal herself.
“I was telling Ally walking over here, the atmosphere was incredible,” Stuck said. “It wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Honestly, the student turnout is better than most I've ever played in front of.”
Senior Ally Becki said the nerves never leave, even if she is entering her fourth season.
“My heart was in my stomach today,” Becki said. “There were a lot of nerves going but it was super exciting.”
The Cardinals faced the Monarchs for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Challenge. The win marks two seasons in a row where Ball State starts its season with a win.
“It was everything that I was looking for,” Stuck said. “...To see it come to fruition today, obviously it wasn’t perfect, the first game is out of the way, but it was great for me.”
Sallee said the physical nature of the game was exactly what was needed for the Cardinals.
“I feel good about this win,” Sallee said. “We've got a lot we can work on between turnovers, a little bit of rebounding, a little bit of execution, but it's a good starting point.”
Sallee talked at length preseason about trying to figure out rotations for the 2024-25 Cardinals and today he did not mince words in saying “I stunk.” He said most of the early season is going to be him trying to figure out how to rotate with his roster.
“I don’t like my performance with my rotations today,” Sallee said. “I have got to be a little bit better there. It's going to look different from game to game. I just think there are some kids that maybe should have gotten a few more minutes. I've got to be better.”
Sallee said he likes the group he has regardless of trying to figure out rotations and sees trust in the lineup from top to bottom.
Becki, who leads multiple rotations, said above all she noticed the whole team playing hard.
“I think we are starting to get the hang of things by being around each other,” Becki said.
Becki was the leading scorer with 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting with eight rebounds, three steals and three assists.
The other statistical impacts of the contest were from the new faces. Sallee said the Cardinals feel confident they went 4-for-4 in the transfer portal. Those players are Stuck, senior Lachelle Austin, junior Tessa Towers and graduate student Maliyah Johnson.
Graduate student Maliyah Johnson prepares to shoot the ball against Old Dominion Nov. 4 at Worthen Arena. Johnson had five points in the game. Andrew Berger, DN
Stuck finished with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting. Austin had 11 points in her Ball State debut and was the second-highest scorer for Ball State. Johnson also added five points on an efficient 2-for-3 shooting.
The Cardinals had four players in double-digit scoring but also had 23 turnovers. Sallee said the Cardinals' turnovers made Ball State look a little bit choppier than normal. He also credited the Monarchs' defense as being physical.
Sallee said he was pleased with how Ball State rebounded, even though he is a little disappointed the Cardinals got outrebounded 45-40.
“A lot of stuff we can get better with, but that game was played at the top of the league level,” Sallee said. “...That was a conference game feel.”
Senior Madelyn Bischoff was out for today's game due to injury. Sallee said there is no timetable for her but he plans on working with doctors to focus completely on what is best for her health.
Sallee expects Bischoff’s experience to boost the Cardinals' offense even more when she can lace them back up for Ball State.
The Cardinals and Monarchs had a couple moments of brief skirmishes that resulted in technical fouls for both squads. Sallee said he is not sure exactly what happened in the situations but will never ask his team to back down.
“We are not going to run into the locker room and hide, I do not know what we are supposed to do,” Sallee said. “...If we are going to get walked up on, let's go. I would do the same thing. We are not going to back down from that ever.”
Sallee said those moments are great for learning, but will never apologize for it.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X@ElijahPoe4.
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