Senior Ally Becki only needed 31 seconds in the second half to record a double-double. She had 13 points and 10 assists with 9:29 on the clock in the third quarter.
But how did she get so many assists? It was because the Ball State women’s basketball team was knocking in 3-pointers like no other in the first half against Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent Ohio.
The Cardinals made 12 3-pointers in the first half, putting up 53 points after the first two frames. Ball State (17-4, 9-0 MAC) kept its lead and defeated the Bobcats (4-15, 2-7 MAC) 83-61.
Becki said the Bobcats were focused on the paint in the first half, allowing her to dish it out to the Ball State shooters.
“When I saw that, I knew once I would dish it to them, it was a green light from there,” Becki said.
Senior Madelyn Bischoff said she always thinks her shot is going in. If it misses, she will get the next one. This mentality has aided Bischoff to continuously shoot whenever she is open. The Cardinals finished 16-for-33 (48.5 percent) from the 3-point arch with Becki and Bischoff both knocking in five a piece.
Bischoff and Becki were just two of five Cardinals in double figures. Freshman Grace Kingery had 12 points, senior Alex Richard had 10 points, and senior Marie Kiefer put up 10 points with 16 rebounds.
Head coach Brady Sallee said the Cardinals never focus on shooting 3-pointers, but if teams leave them open, they will shoot. The head coach said Ball State was focusing on playing inside out and thought the Cardinals executed well on 3-pointers to start the game.
“That's the shot they give up the most, [and] we certainly took advantage of it,” Sallee said.
Even after the big first half, Sallee believed Ball State went through the motions in the second half, banking on a big lead.
“I would like to see us be a little bit crisper in the second half,” Sallee said.
Sallee said there were defensive breakdowns that will have to be fixed the next time the Cardinals face Ohio due to the Bobcats' five-out offense.
“We want to be able to show everyone that is not just a 20-point game that we won, we want it to be a lot more than that,” Becki said. “...We had the lead, we had the cushion, so I think we didn't play to our full potential in the second half.”
Becki creates an award of her own.
Becki set a new Ball State women’s basketball milestone. She is the only player in program history to have 1,500 points, 600 assists, 600 rebounds and 200 steals. Becki gave the glory to God, her teammates and her coaches.
“It truly does mean a lot, and [to be] surrounded by great people, they made it happen for me,” Becki said.
Sallee said Becki is playing with the culmination of her years of experience with a “leave it all on the court” mentality.
“I think you're seeing it all come together in the body of one of the best players that's ever played at Ball State,” Sallee said.
Becki finished with 23 points, 12 assists and five rebounds.
11-game win streak, what’s next?
The Cardinals are now on an 11-game win streak, and they have not lost since Dec. 10 against ranked Ohio State. To not get complacent, Sallee said he puts his trust in the veteran group. He said the veterans understand and have been on winning streaks before.
The 2023-24 Cardinals had a 14-game win streak and the 2022-23 Cardinals had a 10-win streak.
“They've been through it, they understand what this is, they won a bunch of games in a row,” Sallee said. “...But really it's just a feeling of, let's go be our best version. And we know that when we play like that, we're a load.”
The Cardinals will return home Feb. 1 to take on Western Michigan (8-11, 5-4 MAC) at 1 p.m.
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
Read More
Wichita passenger flight collides with helicopter over Washington, D.C., all passengers feared dead
By Tribune Content Agency and Associated Press / 4 hours agoA passenger aircraft from Wichita collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
LifeStream offers programs for independent living
By Lauren Burris / 7 hours agoLifeStream Services provides a hub for caregiver education and support for loved ones.
Multicultural Center hosts snowman building event
By Trey Lawrence / 7 hours agoStudents gather in the Multicultural Center to host an event called Benny Buddies Snowman Building.
