The Cardinals have a lot to look forward to this season after Ball State ninth-year head coach Brady Sallee guided his team last year to a 21-10 overall record with 13 more wins than the Cardinals had in 2018-19. In 2018-19, Ball State had wrapped up its season with an overall 8-23 ledger. The 13-game turnaround led all NCAA Division I women's basketball programs and ranks 30th all-time in NCAA history.
The Cardinals ended the 2019-20 campaign ranked 10th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (30.2), 11th in free throws attempts (655) and 49th in both field goal percentage defense (36.8) and 3-point defense (28.8). Ball State went 13-4 this season in two-possession games, posted a 5-3 mark in one-possession contests and was 2-1 in overtime games.
Ball State earned the No. 2 seed in the 2020 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 13-5 league record, marking the sixth time in Sallee's tenure the Cardinals have punched their ticket straight to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
The Cardinals placed two players on the MAC postseason award lists. Junior forward Oshlynn Brown was named to the All-MAC First Team, while freshman guard Sydney Freeman was selected to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Ball State was picked to finish fifth in the MAC West Division preseason poll, but the Cardinals made a loud statement by winning 10 more league games than in 2018-19. The Cardinals' turnaround from last season to this one is tied for second-best in the MAC record books. The improvement of 10-or-more wins in a season has happened five times.
The Cardinals won their 20th game of the season on Feb. 29 against MAC champion Central Michigan, making Sallee the only head coach in program history to have four 20-win seasons —21-9 (2015-16), 21-10 (2016-17), 25-8 (2017-18) and 21-10 (2019-20).
The Cardinals' roster this season includes two freshmen, Cameron Grant and Ivet Subirats along with three transfers Krystal Rice, Essence Booker and Ella Skeens. Ball State returns All-Mid-American Conference performers Brown for her senior season and Freeman for her sophomore campaign. The Cardinals roster is stacked with experience, as Maliah Howard-Bass, Thelma Dis Agustsdottir, Blake Smith, Estel Puiggros, Anna Clephane and Annie Rauch also make their return to the court.
Sallee has guided the Cardinals to a wealth of success over his nine-year tenure at Ball State. Under his guidance, Ball State has made six appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Sallee is also the winningest head coach in program history with 149 victories.
Ball State's practice slots are currently from 2:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday's, 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday's and 1:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday's in the Shondell Center. Two days prior to games, the team will shift practice to Worthen Arena. Practice times will vary during the season due to travel, game days and the COVID-19 global pandemic. As of right now, there will be no in person interviews only zoom and or phone interviews, please contact assistant athletics communications director Paula Haughn for your interview requests.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State women's basketball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BSUCoachBrady and @BallStateWBB.
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WBB Gearing Up For 2020-21 Season With First Official Practice Thursday - BallStateSports.com
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