CLEVELAND — Ball State women’s basketball dominated its opening round contest against Western Michigan with an 82-53 win. The No. 1 Cardinals will now face the No. 4 Kent State Golden Flashes for a shot at the program’s first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament title since 2009.
Kent State beat No. 5 Miami 68-61 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. The season record for the Cardinals against Kent State is 1-1, with a road win and home loss.
Here are three keys for Ball State against Kent State.
Control the boards
In the home loss Feb. 22, the Cardinals were out-rebounded heavily by Kent State. The Golden Flashes had out-rebounded the Cardinals 22-13 in the first half, and held a 42-29 advantage for the game.
When Ball State gets going on the blocks, and grabs boards, the Cardinals play better basketball. It is an obvious thought, but when the Cardinals get boards, they turn into second chance points and put-backs.
With the size in the paint for Ball State, grabbing offensive rebounds turns into points on second opportunities. In the Cardinals’ opening MAC Tournament game against Western Michigan, Ball State grabbed 44 rebounds — nearly 20 more than the Broncos — and scored 19 second chance points.
Kent State is a team that also controls the glass, bringing down 48 boards against Miami (OH) in the tournament quarterfinals. Kent State did not capitalize on as many offensive boards though, scoring just 10 second chance points. Part of that is due to them shooting 40 percent from the field, knocking down 20 of 50 shots.
On the defensive side, Ball State reeled in 31 boards against Western Michigan. The Broncos only scored four second-chance points. Limiting those second-chance opportunities and getting the ball down the floor will be a major part of the Cardinals’ success against Kent State.
Do not live and die by the three
In the game against Western Michigan, Ball State shot below 35 percent from deep. Kent State is a team shooting 36 percent from deep this season. If the Cardinals and Golden Flashes turn the game into a shootout, I do not like the Cardinals’ chances.
Ball State has looked its best when the ball goes through the bigs. Getting the ball in the paint and playing physical has been the m.o. of this Ball State team all season. In the first game against Kent State, Jan. 15, the Cardinals shot 32 percent from deep and Kent State shot 30 percent.
Ball State’s best three-point shooter, Ally Becki, is shooting 40.5 percent from deep. The next best shooter, Madelyn Bischoff, is shooting 34.0 percent. In the Golden Flashes’ opening game against Miami (OH), they shot 41.2 percent from deep.
Both teams play through their bigs and if they do against each other, fans are in store for what could be an incredible basketball game. Ball State scored 38 points in the paint against Western Michigan and hit just seven of its 22 shots from deep.
Kent State also hit seven threes in its opener, but took five fewer shots than the Cardinals. Although the Cardinals were able to dominate the game against the Broncos while struggling from deep, they hit timely shots and converted big threes in big moments. Lachelle Austin hit a big bucket at the halftime buzzer to extend the lead to 18.
Ball State can shoot the ball well, but limiting rushed shots and taking good looks will be important. Madelyn Bischoff is one of the best spot up shooters in the MAC. With her feet set, it feels like Bischoff knocks every deep shot down. It will be interesting to see how many threes go up for the Cardinals.
Mid-season Becki needs to be back
The MAC Player of the Year had her struggles from the field over the last few MAC games. To open the season, Becki played as if she was the best player in the conference, and arguably the best player in Mid-Major basketball.
To open the season, Becki was in double-digits in eight of nine games. She scored seven against top-15 North Carolina and eight against No. 11 Ohio State a few weeks later. From Dec. 11 to Feb. 15, Becki was not below double-digit point totals in any game.
From Feb. 19 to now, Becki was below double-digits FIVE times. During a seven-game stretch, Becki was scoring in the single-digits more often than she had prior on the entire season.
BUT… She did set the Ball State career assists record. She DID lead the MAC in assist to turnover ratio. She DID rank seventh in the nation in assists per game. She WAS the eighth player EVER to have 1,500 points, 700 rebounds and 600 assists in her career.
Sure, the point totals dropped over a couple of weeks, sure she was not draining threes left and right, sure she was not dropping SportsCenter Top 10 plays daily. But she was a walking highlight reel. She was dropping dimes behind the back and across the court. She was getting the ball to MAC Second Team selection Alex Richard who averaged 16.3 points per game — which was sixth in the MAC — and she was playing lock down defense.
One thing is for sure, Ally Becki is one of the best players to ever play for Ball State University and her performance against Kent State will be a focal point. No matter what, teams prepare for Becki, the media — national and local — want to talk to her, fans come to watch her play and it is all for good reason.
The last two seasons, the lights in Cleveland have been bright and the Cardinals have not stepped up. This season could be the difference, and I do not want to say her performance will decide whether or not Ball State wins, but I like the Cardinals’ chances a whole lot more when she does.
It is not completely up to her, as players like Richard and Bischoff have been getting their footing as of late. Richard, the most consistent shooter on the team and arguably the MAC, along with the three-point shooting of Bischoff make up for Becki’s point totals being lower. She finds her teammates and gets them wide open and good looks.
Ball State will play Kent State March 14 at 10 a.m. from Rocket Arena. The winner of that game will play in the MAC Women’s Basketball Championship game March 16 at 11 a.m. against the winner of Toledo and Buffalo.
Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
Read More
Severe weather likely early saturday
By Noah Gordon / 3 hours agoChief Weather Forecaster Noah Gordon is tracking the threat for severe weather, including damaging winds, late Friday and early Saturday.
Postcard from a free day for the MAC Tournament Daily News sports crew
By Staff Reports / 7 hours agoThe Daily News' Mid-American Conference Tournament coverage crew took the day to work on features and explore the city of Cleveland.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow birthright citizenship restrictions
By Newslink Staff / 9 hours agoThe Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to take effect partly while legal fights play out.
