After a 0-4 Christmas break, Ball State women's basketball coach Brady Sallee’s team is at a crossroads heading into conference play.
Although he’s not sure about calling it that.
“If you want to call it ‘crossroads,‘ that’s fine. If you want to call it ‘opportunity,‘ that’s fine,” Sallee said. “It’s definitely time for us to make a move.”
Ball State hasn’t won a game in over a month. Its last victory came on Dec. 6, in an overtime thriller against Detroit.
On Nov. 23, Ball State was coming off a win against Bethune Cookman and had a record of 2-3, sitting at just one game under .500. Since then, it has lost seven of its last eight, and is now 3-10.
“I think we’re in a position where we’re finally as healthy as we’re going to be all year,“ Sallee said. “We’re not playing half bad ... Maybe we’re in a position where the timing is right for us to make a move, if we’re going to be able to make one. Clearly the out-of-conference schedule didn’t go the way any of us wanted it to.”
One thing Ball State has on its side is that it will have two new players available for action.
Lyzz Smith, a forward from Mishawaka, Ind, transferred to Ball State last season. She has now completed her NCAA-mandated two semesters of sitting out and has joined the team.
In fact, Smith played for Ball State on Dec. 29, in an away loss to Valparaiso. She recorded four points, one steal and one assist in 17 minutes of play.
Before transferring to Ball State, Smith played for two years at Indiana Wesleyan University, just 36 miles north of Muncie.
Smith is six feet tall and will play a wing position for Ball State, said Sallee.
Katie Murphy leads the team in rebounds, bringing down an average of 6.7 per game.
Another new face for Ball State is Alexandra Southworth.
Southworth is a freshman from Piketon, Ohio. She has been injured throughout the first half of the season, and also made her debut against Valparaiso. She played just eight minutes and recorded a steal.
“Alex will play a little more in that forward spot at the four,“ Sallee said. “Maybe at times, give us a little bit of a look at the five, even though that’s not her natural position.“
Sallee said that having Southworth and Smith will allow Ball State to open the floor up more than in previous games.
Ball State has played very short-handed at times this season, even having to play 4-on-5 at one point due to so many players fouling out.
“Against Valpo, we had them back, but they really hadn’t been into what we were doing for very long, at all,” Sallee said. “So it was kind of ‘Throw them out there and see what it looks like.‘ They’re a part of the rotation now. I think it helps our team’s psyche just to have kind of a real roster out there and have nine bodies ready to go.“
One player that Ball State won’t have this season is forward Jonessa Moore. Moore was declared ineligible again. She was also ineligible last year, due to academics.
Ball State will need as many players as it can get with Mid-American Conference play just around the corner.
Conference play will begin for Ball State against Miami (OH) on Thursday.
The MAC is a combined 67-82 in non-conference play this season.
Ball State will play 16 MAC games this season, and went 4-12 the last two seasons in MAC play.
“The thing that you have to understand when you get into conference play is just how important every single possession is,” Sallee said. “Every rebound means a little bit more, every loose ball means a little bit more. There’s a little bit of familiarity with each other because you’re within the conference, and clearly there’s a little bit of pride at stake night in and night out when you’re playing conference schools than when you’re playing outside of conference.”
