One of the biggest problems the women's basketball team has faced this season is playing against tough defense. Against Marshall, the Thundering Herd slowed the tempo and made the game look more like high school than a NCAA Division I game.
Saturday, the Cardinals (17-4 overall, 9-1 Mid-American Conference) face a tougher defense than that of Marshall in the University of Buffalo (9-13, 4-7).
The Bulls stand behind the most prolific defense in the league, ranked No. 1 in the MAC. They have held MAC opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage of any school in the MAC, while allowing only 58.8 points per game. With no standout defensive player, head coach Cheryl Dozier implements a defensive set that switches between man and zone, trying to confuse the offense of opposing schools.
The Cardinals' fast-paced offense is going to be the key for the team to offset what head coach Tracy Roller calls a "stifling defense."
"Marshall took us completely out of our game," Roller said. "We can't let Buffalo do that. We need to get those quick passes out to start the fast break."
Despite Buffalo's defensive superiority, Roller said the Cardinals are going to have an advantage on the perimeter as the guard-oriented offense Ball State uses will give mismatches with the Bulls' post players. And the player the Bulls would not want to let score, junior Tamara Bowie, is probably going to have the biggest mismatch, Roller said.
"The really don't have anyone who can guard her on the outside," Roller said. "She will have the chance for a great game. We are going to need her to hit the big shots. She's definitely going to be the X-factor."
Even with how good its defense is, Buffalo's offense is the complete other end of the spectrum. With a no-name group of offensive players, the Bulls' only managed a 55.7 points-per-game average.
Jessica Kochendorfer leads the team with a 14.5 point average, but past Kochendorfer play in the post, the Bull's pose little threat from the rest of their post players.
Their two leading guards, Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe and Kim Kilpela, barely average more than 10 points per game and are the only other offensive threats. The three players combined - Kochendorfer, McMeeken-Ruscoe and Kilpela - make up for 37.6 points of the Bulls' offense.
But regardless of the offensive capabilities, the Bulls are in the middle of the race for the last spots for the MAC Tournament. Roller said overcoming their defense will not be easy, and the Cardinals are going to have to focus on playing their game.
"If they control the tempo of the game," Roller said. "It's going to be a long night."
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