When Brady Sallee came to Ball State, he brought with him a new style of play.
Tougher, stronger and better defensively.
Those qualities were on point as Ball State (6-11 overall, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) pressured and attacked Kent State (2-15 overall, 0-4 MAC), leading to a 59-44 win.
Early in the game, Ball State went up 16-0, and the game looked to be a blowout as Kent State racked up double digit turnovers in the game’s first seven minutes.
However, Kent State took advantage of a lack of scoring on Ball State’s part, and ended the first half on a 20-10 run.
In the game’s first half, sophomore Brittany Carter led the Cardinals in scoring with eight points.
Carter provided the focal point on offense for Ball State throughout the game. She hit 4-of-11 from the field, but 3-of-8 from 3-point range against Kent State.
Carter said that she didn’t see any additional pressure defensively on her.
“Normal defense, they were chasing over screens,” she said. “It’s never me getting open, it’s them getting me open. It was open because of the screens, it’s Brandy [Woody] penetrating and kicking. They’re the ones getting me open.”
Point guard Brandy Woody nearly doubled her previous career high in steals on Saturday. She entered the game with a career high of four steals, but grabbed seven against Kent State and its freshman point guard Rachel Mendelsohn.
“I’ve been in her position, so I kind of know what big MAC games are like and how if someone pressures you, then you freak out,” Woody said. “I was in her situation once, so I know I could frustrate her.”
Woody also scored a team-high 15 points.
Kent State was 2-14 coming into the game, with its wins coming against Bethune-Cookman and Temple. Ball State beat Bethune-Cookman by 7 in mid-November.
Despite its record, Kent State fought hard, and looked to take the lead multiple times. The Golden Flashes were down just two points with 12 minutes to go in the game. However, Ball State never relinquished its lead to Kent State.
Kent State’s 35 turnovers were the most forced by Ball State in a game in over four seasons.
“I definitely liked the toughness of the way we played,” Sallee said. “In the second half, on our home floor, I think there was no question who the tougher team was.”
Junior Lyzz Smith scored a career-high seven points in her still-young Ball State career. The former Indiana Wesleyan forward played just 15 minutes, but was 3-of-3 shooting, including making her only 3-point attempt.
Sallee said she’s getting more comfortable within the team.
“I think not only the coaches, but her teammates love what she brings to the table and they love how hard she plays and how physical she plays,” Sallee said.
During the game, it was just another battle for Sallee. However, as the clock started to tick down, he began to think about Bob Lindsay, Sallee’s mentor and former head women’s basketball coach at Kent State.
“I’m not scared to say that it’s a big win just personally for me,” Sallee said. “The first person I’m going to call when I get back to the office is him. He means that much to me … He’s everything to my career, so to think I wouldn’t want this game badly would be silly.”
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