With the Cardinals win against conference rival Buffalo, they advance to 11-4 (3-1) but a pattern has emerged. In nine of their 15 games, the Cardinals have been outscored in the first quarter and forced to play catch-up. “I thought we started the game off well and we went through a stretch where they got squirrely on me,” head coach Brady Sallee said.
The women's basketball team narrowly edged out Buffalo Wednesday night.
In a back-and-forth game, Ball State women's basketball hung on to knock off Buffalo 68-63 at home.
It took redshirt junior guard Ryan Weber nearly 30 game minutes to miss a shot Jan. 12 in Ball State men's basketball 74-64 victory over Western Michigan.
The Ball State men's basketball team secured its first true road victory of the season, capturing a 74-64 victory over Western Michigan University on Jan. 12. This victory improved the Cardinals record to 11-5 and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Junior guard Ryan Weber put on a scoring clinic for Ball State, shooting 83% from the field for a career high 26 points. At the 13-minute mark, the Cardinals had a 20-point lead, but Western Michigan did not go away quietly, bringing the game within six. Sophomore guard Jeremie Tyler hit a key three pointer with 3 minutes left, to give the Cardinals a 67-59 lead, on the way to the victory. Ball State forced into 10 turnovers and held Western Michigan to 36.5% shooting from the field. The Cardinals defense has remained a consistent part in the teams success this season. The Cardinals will return to action at Worthen Arena this Saturday against Miami. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m.
One day after the ball dropped to ring in the New Year, Ball State women’s basketball (10-4, 2-1 MAC) celebrated by kicking off the Mid-American Conference season. At 67th in the NCAA’s RPI rankings, the Cardinals are the second-highest ranked team in the MAC behind only 46th-ranked Ohio University (11-3, 3-0 MAC). Head coach Brady Sallee said interior play will be one of Ball State’s biggest advantages in conference play. “It’s what I want us to look like,” he said. “I want us to be that team and make teams worry so much about what they have to do in the paint to keep us from dominating, that now, all of the sudden, my shooters are just out there playing horse.”
With temperatures challenging records over Winter Break, some Ball State athletes were challenging — and breaking — records themselves.
The Ball State men’s basketball team has made drastic improvements from last season heading into Mid-American Conference play.
The Cardinals went 7-23 last year, with their seventh and final win coming in game no. 13 of the season. This year, Ball State is 7-2, riding a six-game win streak and preparing for a tough matchup against the 5-4 Pepperdine Waves. “We’re 7-2 and we feel good about it,” head coach James Whitford said.
Ball State women's basketball (6-2) won its fourth consecutive game and earned its first true road win of the season against Lipscomb University (3-8) in Nashville, Tennessee, 72-60. Senior guard Nathalie Fontaine recorded her second straight double-double -- she led the Cardinals with both 28 points and 14 rebounds. Senior forward Shelby Merder also provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, all of which she scored the second half. The Cardinals outscored the Bison in the paint, 30-14, and outrebounded Lipscomb, 44-23. Ball State, however, turned the ball over a season-high 26 times.
The Dec. 12 men’s basketball game against Pepperdine University will be Toys for Tots Military and Public Safety Appreciation Day, presented by the Muncie Visitors Bureau.
The Ball State women’s basketball 5-2 start is its fastest start since the 2006-07 season, during which the Cardinals began the year with a 6-1 record.
Ball State defeated in-state rival Butler in Worthen Arena on Sunday.
Ball State women’s basketball team (5-2) runs a Swedish word of the day on Worthen Arena’s video boards in honor of Stockholm native Nathalie Fontaine at its home games.
Ball State men’s basketball was able to win its sixth straight game behind the effort of a pair of players coming off of the bench.
Ball State men's basketball won its sixth straight game against New Orleans, making this season's 7-2 start the best since the team's 1999-2000 season.
Bench play has began to contribute more for the women's basketball team. The Cardinals have averaged 25.5 points off the bench in the last four games, compared to scoring 7 total in the first two. After Ball State’s 94-45 victory over Ohio Valley University, head coach Brady Sallee said the Cardinals bench has improved since the start of the season. “Here over the last three or four games, [the bench] has started to turn that corner," Sallee said. "I think they’re getting comfortable in their role. I think they’re understanding what we need from them in the game.” At least four bench players have played 10 or more minutes in three of the last four games.
Ball State defeated Ohio Valley 94-45 in Worthen Arena Thursday night.
Senior guard Nathalie Fontaine led Ball State (4-2) with 29 points in the Cardinals’ 94-45 victory against Division-II Ohio Valley University (1-6). The Cardinals outscored the Fighting Scots 62-10 in the paint. Fontiane started the game 10-for-10 from the floor, and when she was pulled with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, her point total was just one shy of Ohio Valley’s team total of 30. She believes she was too focused to notice. “I wasn’t aware of their points, honestly.” Fontaine said. Head coach Brady Sallee interjected with a laugh. “Just hers,” he said. Fontaine backed that up, admitting she was well aware of her perfect start to the game – she didn’t miss from the floor until 4:24 was left on the clock in the second quarter. She entered the game tied for first in the National Collegiate Athletic Association with a perfect free-throw percentage (24-24), but missed her first free-throw of the season in the first quarter making her 27-28 on the year.
For Ball State men’s basketball, rim protection comes in the form of its 6-foot-9-freshman center Trey Moses.
