With two seasons left of eligibility, the redshirt junior said she has developed an identity crisis from deciding whether or not to return to Ball State Women’s Basketball.
Smith started her first game since Jan. 2, 2021, and finished with five points and one rebound in 12 minutes. Smith admitted she felt anxious about starting but said her performance exceeded her expectations.
With Ball State Women's Basketball's defeat of the Chippewas, they have essentially punched their ticket to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ball State Men’s Basketball (13-16, 8-10 MAC) honored two players for Senior Night, redshirt junior forward Miryne Thomas and redshirt junior center Blake Huggins before a 79-60 loss to Akron (20-9, 13-6 MAC).
In the rekindling of a storied rivalry, Yorktown (8-14, 2-5 HHC) defeated Delta (12-12, 2-5 HHC) 45-36 March 1 to advance to the semifinal round of sectional 24 in the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Boys Basketball State Tournament
Ball State Men’s Basketball had five turnovers and missed its first seven shots in the first five minutes of its 79-60 loss to Akron. Out of a timeout, it took another two minutes for Ball State to score thanks to a slam dunk by junior guard Demarius Jacobs. They were still down just 6-2.
Ball State Women’s Basketball (16-11, 8-8 MAC) lost to Northern Illinois (13-13, 9-8 in MAC) 77-72. However, the traditional red and white jerseys the Cardinals normally wear were traded in for pink and white jerseys for the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game.
Freshman guard Jaylin Sellers scored 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench, including a stretch of eight consecutive points. With three minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the second half, Sellers intercepted an Eagles pass and threw down a breakaway dunk on the other end.
In his final game on Delta’s home court, Marshall led the Eagles with a game-high 18 points, as well as five rebounds. Sophomore forward Jackson Wors added 15 points and four rebounds.
In the Cardinals' 64-56 win against the Broncos, Rauch scored a career-high 22 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field. Head Coach Brady Sallee said he felt happy for Rauch because of her unselfish mentality.
In its last home game of the season, Muncie Burris High School defeated Blue River Valley High School 66-51.
Ball State placed four players in double figures, led by Dis Agustsdottir’s 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers. During the three-game losing streak, Dis Agustsdottir never got into double figures but said she played with more determination against the Broncos.
The Cardinals victory earned them a season sweep against the Falcons, as Ball State won the first meeting 81-80 Jan. 1.
In its three losses, Ball State has lost by a combined 11 points. As the MAC Tournament picture takes shape, head coach Brady Sallee said the Cardinals are not capitalizing during final possessions.
The Owls were paced by junior forward Carter Fisher, who scored a team-high 17 points and gathered five rebounds. McKibben and junior guard Colin McBride each scored 10 points. McBride also contributed seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore center Asher Donahue tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
These all sound like top headlines for an amazing and interesting season. Yet, the 2021-22 NBA season has felt like anything but that. Why is that?
More Black people who are passionate about sports need to look into becoming a journalist because we need more people of color to tell our stories. We need to influence the next generation into believing there are other options with sports that don’t involve playing.
The Bulls drew 20 fouls and finished 18-for-23 from the free-throw line. Graduate transfer Chyna Latimer finished with a team-high 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the charity stripe. Latimer said the continuous fouls prevented the Cardinals from playing their offensive style.
Ball State is a half game ahead of No. 7 Central Michigan, a game and a half ahead of No. 8 Miami (Ohio), and two games ahead of No. 9 Bowling Green. Head Coach James Whitford said Ball State controls its destiny.
Buckets were hard to come by in Ball State Men’s Basketball’s 64-58 loss to Northern Illinois, as Ball State went scoreless for seven straight minutes in the first half.
