With four games remaining in an up-and-down 2011-12 season, Ball State coach Kelly Packard remains confident in her team to finish strong, especially at Worthen Arena.
"We need to seize the opportunity to finish MAC play with three of our last four games in Worthen Arena," Packard said, according to ballstatesports.com. "The resolve to compete with the toughness to seek another victory remains."
Ball State will host Western Divisional rival Central Michigan Sunday at 2 p.m. as it looks to gain ground in the Mid-American Conference standings for the conference tournament in March.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals (8-17, 3-9), their play has largely been poor over their last nine games. They snapped a five-game winless streak with a 75-56 victory at Kent State on Feb. 1, but followed it up by dropping three straight.
Their last loss came at the hands of Western Divisional rival Northern Illinois on Thursday. The Cardinals never had a lead, and the Huskies made them pay by managing 20 points off of turnovers to the Cardinals' 13. The Cardinals couldn't cash in from the free-throw line as well. The Huskies sent their opponent to the line 22 times, but the Cardinals converted just 14.
Despite the unsettling result, Packard remained appreciative of her team's effort and competitiveness.
"I'm still proud of the way this team is battling," Packard said, following the Northern Illinois game. "I felt like we battled. I felt like we had multiple people that got on the floor after loose balls. I just think we need to continually shoot the ball at practice."
The Cardinals will welcome the Chippewas (13-13, 5-7) to Muncie, looking to even the season series after losing 84-66 on Jan. 14 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. On the other hand, the Chippewas are looking for their first win in Muncie in over a decade. The Chippewas last defeated the Cardinals at Worthen on Feb. 23, 1998 by a score of 99-75.
Ball State will need to take care of the ball, as Central Michigan is second in the conference with just under 11 steals per game. Offensively, Central Michigan is the most lethal team in the conference from beyond the arc, averaging just under 7 long-range jumpers per game.
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