Slightly more than a month ago, Ball State University's women's basketball team used a 25-point home win against Central Michigan University to respond from its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season.
This time, the Cardinals are attempting to continue a two-game winning streak when they travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to play the Chippewas. Central Michigan's two conference wins mean they are tied for worst in the MAC, while Ball State is one game behind Western Michigan University for first place in the MAC West Division.
Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald said Ball State's past two wins give her team a tremendous amount of confidence entering tonight's game.
"We've been able to find ourselves again," McDonald said. "We had a rough patch in the middle of the conference season, and now we've gone back to playing with our strengths. We've gone back to playing Ball State basketball."
Despite Ball State's previous success against one of the conference's lower-ranked teams, acting head coach Lisa McDonald said her team isn't looking past Central Michigan.
"I don't think in any regard that we're taking them lightly," she said. "We played a good game against them when they came to our place. Now we're going to their place, and we're expecting a tough game from them."
Ball State will also have to keep from focusing on its next game, which will be played against Western Michigan. Western Michigan also plays tonight at Northern Illinois University in the Huskies' first women's basketball game since a gunman killed five students and himself in a Feb. 14 campus shooting.
A Western Michigan loss coupled with a Ball State win would put the Cardinals in a first-place tie with the Broncos in the West Division.
Lisa McDonald said her team has taken special precautions to keep its focus on tonight's opponents.
"I don't think anyone has even said the words 'Western Michigan' all week," she said. "It's really important that we stay focused on the task at hand."
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