WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Packard to step down as coach
March 21, 2012Kelly Packard's inaugural season, 2008-09, as coach of Ball State women's basketball was the best in school history.
Kelly Packard's inaugural season, 2008-09, as coach of Ball State women's basketball was the best in school history.
Heading into this season, six wins in Mid-American Conference play and a ninth seed in the MAC Tournament were hardly what Ball State coach Billy Taylor envisioned.
All the struggles Ball State faced during the season could be nullified with a deep run in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. That was, at least, the Cardinals mindset going into Monday's game at Western Michigan.
While Saturday was a game to honor the team's seniors in Jarrod Jones, Randy Davis and Pierre Sneed, it was the subs who stole the spotlight and ultimately the win.
Seniors Jarrod Jones, Randy Davis and Pierre Sneed will step onto the floor of Worthen Arena for the final time as Ball State hosts Northern Illinois in its last regular season game today at 2 p.m.
As the final seconds ticked down in Wednesday's game, sophomore guard Jesse Berry rose up and hit one last three at the top of the circle to effectively end Ball State's nine-game losing streak in Mid-American Conference play.
In Ball State's first match up against Central Michigan on Jan. 18, the Cardinals were known for their defense.
The first word that came to coach Kelly Packard's mind when asked about Senior Night was "emotional." It's been an up-and-down season for Ball State, but the past has been moved aside as it hosts Toledo tonight at 7.
It took Carter, now a freshman on the Ball State women's basketball team, three years of heartbreak before she accomplished her dream of winning a high school state title.
Ball State arrived in Ypsilanti, Mich., with hopes of sweeping its season series against Eastern Michigan. Those hopes were quickly erased, however, as the home team dealt the visitors a 74-43 thrashing on Senior Day.
Despite shooting 48 percent from the field, Ball State lost 61-50 to Mid-American Conference opponent Eastern Michigan on the road Saturday afternoon.
Ball State may have ended its seven-game losing streak Saturday, but the Cardinals Mid-American Conference funk is still intact.
The clock read 0:13 with Ball State trailing by a basket, when freshman guard Shelbie Justice was fouled and went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game.
It had been 403 days since Western Michigan won a game away from home. It beat Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill., on Jan. 15, 2011. The counter reset Wednesday night after beating Ball State 67-65 in Worthen Arena.
While Saturday's win against Southern Illinois didn't improve Ball State's 4-8 Mid-American Conference record (13-12 overall), the players came away with an all-new positive mindset.
Ball State senior center Jarrod Jones has been named one of the 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award given to the Mid-Major Player of the Year.
After going 0-6 versus the Mid-American Conference East Division, then losing it's first game back in West play, Ball State now steps away from conference play and hosts Southern Illinois for BracketBuster weekend.
The road woes continued for the Ball State women's basketball team as it fell on the road to Northern Illinois on Thursday night, 58-44.
On Monday, Jarrod Jones said his scoring slump was going to come to an end pretty soon.
With one win in the past five games, Ball State is going through one of its toughest stretches in the 2011-12 season.
