When the women's basketball team lost its last six regular-season games in 2004, head coach Tracy Roller learned some valuable lessons.
That's why she didn't make her team go through a grueling practice the day after it ended its five-game winning streak against Eastern Michigan Wednesday night. Instead the team only watched film.
"Last year we would have practiced for two hours," Roller said. "There's a reason why we played like we did (Wednesday); we're beat up, we're tired and we're sick, so taking the day off is the best thing for us to do."
Since the team took Thursday off, that leaves only one day to prepare for the Northern Illinois Huskies, a team they will face on the road Saturday before returning home for a mathcup against Bowling Green on Tuesday.
Both Ball State and Northern are coming off of games in which they had bad halves.
Ball Stated shot only 30 percent in the first half against Eastern and fell into a 43-22 hole at halftime, a deficit they were never able to overcome. Senior Kate Endress said the team learned a valuable lesson.
"We just got to learn from this game, we've got to come out a lot better in the first half," she said. "We've got to come out ready to play at Northern. Northern's going to be ready for us."
Northern had a similar experience against Bowling Green the same night. The Huskies were outscored 50-24 in the second half, causing them to lose 80-44.
Earlier this season the Cardinals defeated Northern 62-41 in Worthen Arena, but Roller said she knows that the Huskies are better then that.
"When they played here they did not play well and we have to realize that," Roller said. "Northern's scary because they like to slow the game down."
Ball State averages 68.3 points per game and allows 69.6, while the Huskies average just 55.7 and allow 61.8.
Stephanie Raymond, Northern's leading scorer who averages 15.7, was held to just six points in the teams first meeting. Raymond also committed 10 of the teams 28 turnovers.
Endress continues to lead Ball State, averaging 18 points per game, while sophomore Tina Bolte is the only other Cardinal in double figures with 11 points.
The Cardinals, who average 40.8 rebounds per game, only had 31 against Eastern, and Roller said that is one of the things the team will try to figure out when watching film.
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