Considering Ball State University's women's basketball team was rattled with adversity since the preseason, few could predict the Cardinals' final road trip of the regular season would go without a glitch.
It certainly didn't disappoint.
Upon arriving at the team's hotel, Ball State's acting head coach Lisa McDonald was informed no rooms were available due to an overbooking with a conference at the hotel. Hotel management referred McDonald to its "sister property," the Super 8 directly across the street. After checking the motel online, she decided it was acceptable for one evening of sleep.
"We thought, 'Maybe this is the best Super 8 in the world.'" McDonald said. "But when we got there, it looked like one of those places you'd see on 'Dateline' when they go over it with a black light. I've seen some bad motels, but this was one of the sketchiest Super 8's I've ever seen. I mean, this place was really special."
The Cardinals bolted from the "dumpy" Super 8, and finally settled into a nearby Fairfield Inn around 10 p.m. Despite its difficulties, Ball State responded with a double-digit road victory.
"Central Michigan was our season in a nutshell," McDonald said. "From the adversity we faced to the way we responded with the win, that's exactly how our season has gone."
The Cardinals face another formidable challenge Saturday when they tip off against Western Michigan University at 3 p.m. in Worthen Arena. The two teams are currently in a three-way tie - along with Eastern Michigan University - in the Mid-American Conference West Division.
Junior tri-captain Porchia Green said the adversity her team has faced provides a high level of confidence as it enters its game against the Broncos, a team Ball State has already defeated on the road this season.
"We are a team that has seen a lot of adversity with what we've been through this season," Green said. "We're to the point where we feel like nothing can keep us down."
Ball State's hotel shuffle was one incident in a long chain of off-court situations that have gone against the Cardinals this season. The most notable adversity has been the sustained absence of head coach Tracy Roller, who has been away from the team since late December as she battles a severe case of mononucleosis. The team has also experienced difficulties with plane and bus malfunctions.
"It speaks to what a great job this team has done at bouncing back," McDonald said of Ball State's opportunity to control its own destiny for a No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament in March. "Despite everything that has come up, we have responded in a positive way. Things have attacked us from the outside, but we've been so strong together that nothing has hurt us."
Senior captain Julie DeMuth said she's never gone through a season that has had so much uncontrollable difficulty off the hardwood, and it took her team some time to adjust to the various struggles. However, she said her team has come together in a way that might not have been possible without the adversity it has faced.
"At the beginning we had trouble handling it, but with all the experiences we've had this season, we've really come together under it," DeMuth said. "It's really built our continuity, and I think we're playing better as a team because of it. In that respect, I think we're playing our best basketball this season, and it's at the best time."
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