On Jan. 5, Ball State defeated Eastern Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener 54-51 in Worthen Arena. It will look to repeat that performance Saturday in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The Cardinals will arrive at the Convocation Center on the heels of a heartbreaking loss against Western Michigan on Wednesday, as freshman guard Shelbie Justice missed a game-tying free throw with just seconds remaining. The Broncos came away with the 67-65 victory, dealing the Cardinals their fourth loss in five games.
Establishing consistent success on the road has plagued the Cardinals all season, and the challenge will only get tougher against the Eagles, who are in sole possession of the West Division with a record of 12-2. The Eagles reached the 20-win plateau on Tuesday, blowing away Toledo 54-33.
Eastern Michigan is riding an eight-game winning streak and has won 12 of its last 13 games. The Eagles are a perfect 7-0 at the Convocation Center this season, and the Cardinals will look to put an end to that streak.
In order for the Cardinals to do so, coach Kelly Packard and her staff will need to craft a formula for containing preseason All-MAC selection Tavelyn James, who is second in the nation with an average of 24.7 points per game this season.
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, James tallied a team-high 20 points in a losing effort. The Eagles' offense is centered around James, who has amassed 663 points this season. Natachia Watkins owns the next highest point total on the team, with 333.
While the Eagles sit atop the West Division, they are still playing for the division title. Toledo is just one game behind Eastern Michigan for first place. On the other hand, Ball State is in a two-way tie for last place in the division with Western Michigan, who owns the tiebreaker after having swept the season series.
The Cardinals and Eagles are scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m.
For updates on women's basketball, follow @Pozzbsu on Twitter.
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