Contrary to previous opponents, Western Michigan doesn’t have one player that Ball State will be focusing on.
Nobody on Western Michigan’s team is scoring more than nine points per game, while five are scoring more than seven points per game.
The leading scorer for the Broncos is Corie Buchanon, followed closely by Aurielle Anderson.
Buchanon, a 5-foot-8-inch guard, is scoring 8.6 points per game. Her points have mostly come from 2-point shots. Buchanon has only made one 3-pointer all season.
Anderson is a similar player to Buchanon. She’s averaging 8.1 points per game.
Ball State coach Brady Sallee compared defending against Western Michigan with defending other teams he’s seen.
“It’s a little bit different than, say Ohio, where we game planned for Kiyanna Black,” Sallee said. “I think with them you have to really focus on what it is they’re trying to do. Even though they’re not trying to get it to one in particular player, I think they are trying to get it inside.”
The main big player that Western Michigan plays with is forward Miracle Woods.
Woods is a freshman who has played in all 19 games for Western Michigan, starting 12. Woods leads the team in rebounds with 4.8 per game.
Sallee believes Woods will be a big focal point to Western Michigan’s offense.
“They are trying to get it in the paint,” he said. “It’s going to be about collectively keeping them out of that area as best we can. ... They’re a little bit undersized. We’re going to have to keep the ball out of their hands down deep. We’re just trying to focus on what it is they do and how it is they do it and try to take a couple things away and see if we can’t slow them down a little bit.”
Two key players that will be charged with defending Woods in the paint for Ball State will be Nathalie Fontaine and Katie Murphy. However, lately players not named Fontaine or Murphy have been handling the rebounding for Ball State.
“I don’t think we’re going to give an inch with what we’re asking our players to do,” Sallee said. “We’re going to keep demanding that they rebound the ball and know that they’re going to be held accountable.”
Due to early foul trouble, Murphy has played 33 minutes in the last two games combined. In the game before those, she played 33 minutes, nearly the entire game.
In her last game against Ohio, she scored seven early points and was a big factor defensively.
Fontaine missed the game against Buffalo on Jan. 23 with a back injury. She played three days later against Ohio, but only scored four points in 30 minutes of play.
Rebounding and size have been a problem for Ball State throughout the season, but Sallee says the problem is fixable.
“It’s getting better, but we’ve still got a ways to go,” Sallee said. “It’s just a matter of fundamentals, putting a body on somebody. Between your ears, having that mindset to win the battle of the boards goes a long way. For whatever reason, that’s a struggle for us and it’s something that if we can ever get taken care of, we have a chance to put not only two or three wins together, but a bunch of them.”
