by When Ball State women’s basketball took the court in The Jungle on IU Indy’s campus, the Cardinals saw some familiar faces.
Playing for the Jaguars in Sunday’s contest were Sydney Bolden, Hailey Smith and Olivia Smith. All three were Cardinals just one year ago.
“I couldn’t help but just be proud of how they were playing, how aggressive they were playing … As much as I love them, this was the best thing for all three of them, and you’re seeing it with the way they played,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “I think they’re going to help IU Indy keep improving.”
In today’s edition of the I-69 rivalry match-up in Indianapolis, the Cardinals’ performance was highlighted by two career highs as the Red and White walked away with an 81-72 win.
Despite a total of 48 fouls called — 25 on Ball State and 23 on IU Indy — both teams fought their way through the adversity, and it was the Cardinals gaining the upper hand.
“You had to be tough in this one today. That’s for sure,” Sallee said. “But there were two teams pouring their hearts out trying to get one, and I’m proud of my kids for just understanding what it was going to take for us to win.”
The first quarter saw Ball State’s offense run away with momentum as they ended the period leading 21-13. That was the case throughout most of the first half as senior center Tessa Towers recorded 14 points, smashing her former career high in points (10) in two periods.
She finished the game with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
But as halftime drew closer and closer, the more the momentum slipped to IU Indy as the Jaguars ended the half on a 14-3 scoring run. This only gave Ball State a 34-31 lead at the break.
The second half opened as the Cardinals turned the ball over multiple times. After only recording five in the opening half, they finished the game with 18. In their first game of the season, they recorded 35 overall.
“We had a couple of silly turnovers due to over-dribbling and that kind of thing,” Sallee said. “We have to continue to clean it up, but I guess 18 instead of 35 is progress.”
But as the turnover numbers grew, the amount of foul calls continued to rise. But this did not bother Ball State senior forward Bree Salenbien as she jumped the hurdle and found success for the Cardinals.
In her second game with Ball State, she secured a double-double of 20 points — a career high — and 12 rebounds.
“I am just super grateful for the position that I’m in, and I think it allows me to do that. I don’t necessarily think in my last four years, I’ve been put in that position,” Salenbien said. “It’s just super fun to play at Ball State.”
Because of the effort from Towers and Salenbien, Ball State won the battle in the paint 40-24, and the Red and White also blocked nine Jaguar shot attempts. But the game was still close until the 1:04 mark, as junior forward Karsyn Norman hit a 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 75-66 lead.
After that bucket, it was a free-throw battle the rest of the way. The Cardinals led for 83.3 percent of the game and ended the win going 28-for-67 (41.8 percent) from the field, 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) from deep and 19-for-23 (82.6 percent) from the free-throw line.
Salenbien said the Cardinals have many things to improve upon following the game. But she said the first two games on their schedule have shown that this team can get it done when their backs are against the wall.
“When things are going badly, that’s when we really stick together,” she said. “We just cling to each other, and that’s what really took us to the next level and allowed us to get those two wins … It’s about not splintering when things are hard, because teams are going to go on their runs and they’re going to make shots.”
Sallee said the team’s ability to not lose control when facing a challenge is important, and he said today’s win proved that from start to finish. But he also believes the past two victories have raised the bar for the team.
“I think [the goal] is pretty simple for us right now. We’re just really trying to focus on how we can get better. It’s been two road wins, and on top of it, it’s with a brand new team. That is maybe the most impressive part.” Sallee said. “Their focus has been really, really sharp. And I think doing that and not getting caught in the weeds with an individual’s plan [is important]. It’s got to be team, team, team and team. So far, it has been.”
Ball State will move on to its home opener Wednesday, Nov. 12, as the Cardinals host Northern Kentucky. This will be the first time Ball State fans will get to see this roster in an actual game.
Sallee said he wants to see the community come out and support the program when the tipoff takes place at 6:30 p.m.
“I think right now we’re going to enjoy the heck out of this one, but they’re going to be excited to run out of that tunnel and play on their home floor,” he said. “We need a big crowd there, and we’re coming home to face a well-coached Northern Kentucky team, which plays a much different style than anything we’ve seen up till now.
“We’re going to have to have a couple of really smart days of practice and be ready.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
