The Ball State University women's basketball team will begin its regular season Saturday without junior Becca Bajorek. The Cardinals' center has a stress fracture in her hip and will undergo surgery today.
Ball State coach Tracy Roller said Bajorek will miss 6-8 weeks.
"Obviously any time any of my players are out it affects us," Roller said. "Becca has definitely stepped up as a leader for us in the post. Since she is having surgery [today], she won't be traveling with us this weekend. Just not having her verbal, we're going to miss her a lot."
Bajorek started 17 games last year and played in all but one of the Cardinals' 29 games. She averaged 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Bajorek missed both of the exhibition games and Roller used two different starting lineups for those contests.
"I really couldn't tell you from game-to-game who is going to start because our team is so competitive," Roller said. "But she was a person I was considering to be a starter."
Ball State opens the regular at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Murray State. The Racers beat the Cards 87-76 last year in their only previous meeting.
Murray State has eight newcomers, including four freshman and four transfers. Roller said she doesn't know much about Murray State aside from last year's game and looking at exhibition box scores.
"This game is about going out with what we know from last year about them and adjusting to what they are new," Roller said. "I have a feeling they will be more athletic, they'll press and run more and they'll be a high-scoring team."
Ball State and Murray State enter having won both of their exhibition games. The Cards beat the Ohio Legends 74-65 and escaped with a 94-93 victory over the Hoosier Lady Stars, highlighted by a game-winning 3-pointer by Tina Bolte.
Roller said the match-up is a chance for the Cards to show Murray State that they've improved since last year.
"I want us to come out and be competitive, play hard, be tough-minded and to get better," she said.
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