Ball State Softball competed in the Southern Illinois Tournament to open its 2021 season. The games marked the start of the new season and the debut of head coach Lacy Wood. Entering the weekend, Wood felt excited and eager to be around the team in a competitive setting for the first time.
Coming off of its season-opening series against the nationally ranked Arizona Wildcats, Ball State (4-3, 0-0 MAC) returned to the Midwest this weekend — but found its opponent in fewer than 48 hours.
At the end of the night, it was the Buckeyes (5-6, 4-3 MIVA) standing tall with the 3-2 victory and the upset win over the Cardinals (7-2, 4-1 MIVA).
That energy is something those two believe help the team win games, especially in Ball State Men’s Basketball’s 97-91 win against the Chippewas.
Ball State defeated Toledo 88-77. The story of the game took place on the offensive end of the court, where the Cardinals shot 12-of-24 from the 3-point line.
In his seventh season as head coach of Lawrence Central High School boys’ basketball, Al Gooden made history. He became the first African American high school boys’ basketball coach in Indiana to reach 500 wins when the Bears defeated Decatur Central 58-38 in the Marion County Tournament Jan. 12.
Freeman is most remembered for her involvement in the turnaround of Central Noble High School Girls’ Basketball. The Cougars had not won more than five games since the 2009-10 season, but Freeman took the team from one of the worst in the state to one of the most dominant teams, beginning with her arrival in 2015. The Cougars finished 18-7 her freshman season before going 23-5 her junior season and 27-1 her senior season.
The Cardinals defeated the Golden Grizzlies twice, earning their sixth win of the season and fourth in the last five days.
Ball State beat Northern Illinois 82-79 on Wednesday evening. This victory improves the Cardinals' road record to 10-2, good for best in the Mid-American Conference. While crowds might look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 guidelines, Sallee believes their performance on the road speaks to their identity.
The Cardinals (6-1, 0-0 MAC) picked up a clean sweep over the Cougars to win their sixth straight match and improve to 6-1 overall.
The limited fans and his team applauded as El-Amin waved to the crowd while soaking in the moment of making history. Not only did he score his 1000th career point, but he also scored 16 points in the game and led Ball State Men’s Basketball to a 90-71 over Kent State.
Golf star Tiger Woods was injured Tuesday in a vehicle rollover in Los Angeles County, authorities said.
Throughout his tenure as Ball State head coach, Rich Maloney has consistently stressed to his players the importance of never taking a backseat and having the belief they could compete against anyone.
However, the two-week hiatus did not stop Ball State’s (7-1, 3-0 MAC) momentum. The Cardinals swept Lindenwood (3-6, 0-6 MIVA) in two matches Saturday (25-23, 25-13, 25-20) and Sunday (25-20, 25-21, 25-22).
One team competed with more fight and will Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals were not that team.
Ball State Men's Basketball could not produce a complete game in its 88-79 loss to Akron. At the half, the Cardinals held a six-point lead. However, the script flipped in the second half when the Zips outscored the Cardinals 58-43 in the second half. Whitford liked what he saw in that first half but thinks the issue concerns the complete game as a whole.
The Cardinals went into the break leading 36-30 and held the Zips’ offense to just 34 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from deep. Ball State held Akron’s leading scorer Loren Cristian Jackson to zero points in the half. In spite of this, Ball State lost the game 88-79.
The famous quote, “There’s no place like home,” has not resonated with the Cardinals (5-5 MAC) these past two weeks.
Grant Zgunda is stepping into the role of Jay County head football coach.
The Cardinals have one more hurdle to jump tomorrow as they host the Ball State Tune-Up on Thursday, Feb. 17. However, the team’s main focus is the Mid-American Conference Championship next weekend.
