MAC West Division standings
Toledo 2-0
Western Michigan 2-0
Central Michigan 2-0
Ball State 2-0
Northern Illinois 1-0
Eastern Michigan 0-1
After going 4-7 in its non-conference portion of the schedule, the Ball State women's basketball team is out to a 2-0 start in Mid-American Conference play.
"I was very unhappy with where we were at Christmas time, so after Christmas I had come to this decision to help the team and so far it has," head coach Brady Sallee said. "I've seen a new boost in the team."
Sallee said knew that the non-conference schedule was going to be tough. Ball State played top teams from power conferences early in the season, such as Purdue, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. However, the team also lost to Duquesne, Butler, Western Kentucky, and St. Louis.
But since the conference season has started, Ball State has outscored its two opponents by an average of 21.5 points per game.
"It was big to get these two big wins, but we know it's early and we are just focused on moving forward and focusing on the next game, not on the past," senior Shelbie Justice said.
The Cardinals' latest win against Miami was their biggest win margin of the season (31). Junior Nathalie Fontaine, who scored a game-high 27 points, said the key has been working hard and listening to the adjustments that Sallee has made.
A lot of work is still to be done with over half their season left to play before Ball State prepares to make another run in the conference tournament. Being the team's only senior, Sallee looks at Justice as a "senior who gets it" who is showing her leadership skills.
Justice's teammates have fed off her attitude and have developed a new mentality as the season has progressed.
"Everyone is a little vanilla early in the season before the conference," Sallee said. "But once it starts you kind of just have a new fire under you when you play."
The Cardinals hot start has put them in a four-way tie in the MAC West Division through two games. Not giving up through the first 11 games has been the key for what looks like a completely different Ball State team.
Sallee says the "never quit" attitude of his players lead him to believe that the team's journey is just beginning.
"We just started MAC and we will see Bowling Green and Miami again and they will be different," he said. "But we have yet to try everything we want to, so expect us to be different too."
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