Ball State women’s basketball kicked off 2025 with a clean Mid-American Conference (MAC) schedule ahead of them.
But head coach Brady Sallee said the Cardinals have to be prepared to play with the same target on their backs they’ve had for years.
“Night out, we're going to be a huge game for everybody in this league,” Sallee said. “If they can beat us, they're going to feel like they've done something. So we got to play against everybody's best. It's easy to say, but sometimes hard to do.”
Ball State (9-4) defeated the Miami (OH) (7-4, 0-1 MAC) 68-55 to start the MAC season 1-0.
The most important thing for Sallee and the Cardinals is that he wants his team to enjoy and embrace the target on their backs.
When things got close and Miami was closing in on the lead, Sallee said that was when he felt the most energy around his team. He believes that mindset gives Ball State the best chance for no letdowns.
One of those high-energy moments Sallee pointed out was when Miami made it a single-possession game early in the fourth quarter.
Senior Ally Becki dished it out to freshman Grace Kingery when the Cardinals were up 52-49, and the freshman's 3-pointer gave Ball State a 55-49 lead. Sallee said Becki could have easily done it herself and taken it to the rim, but instead showed immense trust in her younger teammate.
“That's huge for a freshman, but it's huge for our team to have a player of Ally’s status, to trust a freshman like that in a game like this,” Sallee said.
Becki was influential for the Cardinals in their first MAC contest scoring 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals. She also played 39 minutes, only sitting for one minute.
Sallee did not mince words by saying that Becki is the Cardinals' everything.
“When you got the best player on the floor every night, it's comforting, and you got a good chance to win,” Sallee said.
Kingery finished with 18 points off the bench and was 5-for-9 from three.
Sallee said Kingery is a classic cool customer. She carries herself with even-keeled emotions, but oozes with confidence, he said.
“Having a freshman be able to step up, fill a role and be able to hit big shots means everything,” senior Alex Richard said.
Senior Alex Richard has not been able to play due to injury with the Cardinals since Nov. 16 against the University of Northern Iowa. Today, she made her return to the court against the RedHawks.
“It really meant everything,” Richard said about making her return.
Richard said it was a real challenge in rehabilitation because she was unable to walk on her leg completely. This left the senior with crutches for five weeks. Since she had crutches she could not train, condition or anything. While it was hard to sit out, Richard said she gained a new perspective from the experience.
“It just made me realize nothing's given,” Richard said. “I knew when I came back, I didn't want to take it for granted. I just wanted to go out there and give my 100 percent every single time that I was on the court because I wasn't able to do that.”
The Cardinals will return to Worthen Arena Jan. 4 to face Central Michigan at 1 p.m.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.