Ball State women’s basketball (15-4, 6-0) extended its win streak to nine games and remained undefeated in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play after a convincing 77-63 victory over Toledo (12-5, 4-3).
The game between the first-place Cardinals and third-place Rockets was televised on CBS Sports Network for national viewership. A spotlight most mid-major programs are not able to compete on.
“[We] are so appreciative of the league, and the work they do to get games on national TV for us,” head coach Brady Sallee said. “We've been fortunate enough, because I've got these kids, that they want to put us on there a lot. So we played in, I think four of them now, and, it's always fun. And then to play that well, it's just double exciting.”
With the nationally televised win, Ball State head honcho Brady Sallee surpassed 150 regular season MAC wins. Sallee is in his 13th season with the Cardinals and credits his support for every one of those wins.
“Yeah, it just means you're old, right?” Sallee said. “It's easy to hit those kinds of milestones when you got players like this. I don't want to forget Audrey Spencer in a moment like this, who's been there for all of them. I got the best staff in the league, and she certainly headlines that. But it's a true testament to the team that we have and the program we're able to run.”
Ball State opened the game sluggish, playing its third game in seven days can do that to a team. But after Sallee called a timeout with four minutes to go in the first quarter, It was as if he rolled a new team out on the floor.
The Cardinals went on a 16-to-3 run and outscored Toledo 18-to-14 in the quarter. Any wind in the Rockets’ sail shifted to the Cardinals.
“I think I started with, ‘Just take a deep breath.’ I felt like we were getting the ball where we wanted to. We just weren't converting,” Sallee said. “In that moment, you're like, ‘Let's just go be who we are.’ And we trust that part of it, and we know that's a good product.”
From that point on, it was all Ball State. Momentum had shifted to the Cardinals, but they knew they would need to stay on the gas to hold the lead. Anything can happen in college basketball, especially MAC games.
“We just have to continue to step on the gas and we can't let up,” senior Alex Richard said. “And I think that we've had a lot of games in the past [like that]. We've just learned a lot from not letting up, and I think that we know that we just have to keep our foot on the pedal and just keep it going.”
Ball State was able to produce from the paint. They outscored Toledo 46-36 and were getting production from more than just their bigs. Senior Ally Becki had 26 points with a majority coming from the paint.
“I mean, that's something I saw,” she said. “And [Khera] Goss was out, and she's just a really good defender, and so when I saw that she was out in foul trouble, I was able to see who was defending me and my coaches were telling me, just, drive. You'll have people open if you do go for the drive.”
The ‘grit’ stats were all in favor of Ball State. Paint points, turnovers, and most importantly, rebounds. Winning games late in the season and tournament play will almost always be in favor of the teams that can win the glass and limit turnovers.
“The rebounding part is huge,” Sallee said. “We've got to figure out a way to pick those up night in and night out. We don't have to do it the same way every game, but we have to pick the numbers. So we talked about Ally and Lachelle going and making a difference on the boards today and they did.”
The Cardinals have been known for their tenacious defense and full-court press. Even with an extensive lead, the pressure has to stay on for them on defense.
“Turnovers, that's what we do,” Sallee said. “We've been pretty consistent that way, it's kind of our identity. [Richard and Becki] tried to make the decision on their own to stop pressing there for a little bit. But, I motivated them to get back in the press and finish that game off. Three games in seven days, and here we are pressing for 40 minutes.”
With an undefeated MAC record and an impressive 15 wins on the season, the Cardinals are playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Even with being one of the top mid-majors in the nation, there is always more to prove.
“I feel like every game that we play is personal,” Becki said. “There's about six of us that are going to be gone next year. Every game is meaningful, and they all mean a lot. Unfortunately, people are coming out with injuries here and there. Like Elise, so we just kind of have to play every game like it's our last and just kind of open up your eyes and see who you're playing with. Those are the people that support you and are there for you. I think every game is just personal and we've gotten through it.”
Ball State hits the road for two games, first a road test at Northern Illinois Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. The next, a game at Ohio Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. before returning home to Worthen.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
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