The pregame talk from associate head coach Audrey McDonald-Spencer to junior Ally Becki was a simple one – but one that resulted in a career night for the junior.
Ball State (9-8, 1-4 MAC) defeated Eastern Michigan (8-9, 1-4 MAC) 76-62 for the Cardinals' first win since Dec. 10, 2023. Ball State returns to action Saturday, Jan. 20, for a 2 p.m. contest against Miami (OH) (8-9, 2-3 MAC) in Muncie, Indiana.
Ball State’s win over Trine marked its sixth sweep of the season, and it was among its most dominating performances of the young campaign. The red and white never trailed the Thunder through the first and second sets, and they outscored the visitors by 20 points.
Ball State dropped to 1-1 after the Cardinals finished in second pace of the Ohio State tri-meet.
Kirtane cited that his team was unsure of themselves, but that getting the opportunity to play a team like the Boilermakers has more positives than negatives. He reiterated that his goals for the team are to progress and make as much improvement as possible before conference play begins.
Here are results from Delaware County high school sporting events from the week of 1/8-1/13.
The Delta girls' and Yorktown boys' basketball teams were named the champions of the 2024 Delaware County Tournament.
“Students got back on campus Monday and we turn around and compete Friday, Saturday. So it was just good to see them compete,” head coach Adrian Wheatley said.
Ball State (8-8, 0-4 MAC) lost its sixth-straight contest with a 77-72 defeat at the hands of Toledo (10-6, 4-0 MAC). The Cardinals stay on the road for their next contest, a 7 p.m. matchup against Eastern Michigan (8-8, 1-3 MAC) Jan. 16 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
No. 13 Ball State’s strong start on their home court was a fitting opening, as the red and white benefited from 10 scoring runs of at least three points in their sweep (25-14, 25-16, 25-15) of Tusculum (0-3).
The last meeting saw the Falcons come on top in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament, today the Cardinals defeated Bowling Green 76-61. Junior Madelyn Bischoff said there is a bit of a rivalry between the two teams, and the loss in the MAC tournament last year was in the back of her mind today.
Saturday, Ball State (14-2, 4-0 MAC) flipped the script in the rematch with the Falcons (9-4, 3-1 MAC) in a dominating performance from start to finish.
On Friday evening, the final four teams in the Delaware County Tournament squared off for a chance to fight for the 2024 Delaware County crown. When it was all said and done Delta and Yorktown came out on top and will play for the County Championship.
No. 13 Ball State (5-2) followed its triumphant sweep of UC San Diego Thursday night with a four-set victory over Tusculum (0-2). The Cardinals will return to Worthen Arena January 13 at 6 p.m. for another match against Tusculum.
While millions watched the University of Michigan defeat the University of Washington to win the NCAA Football National Championship in front of 72,808 fans in Houston, Indiana Pacer fans were otherwise occupied, holding their breath as they watched their star guard Tyrese Haliburton carried off the court by his teammates after a scary fall.
After picking up wins in the semifinals, Delta and Yorktown will face off in the championship game of the Delaware County Tournament.
“I think the losses at BYU were a really good teaching moment for us,” Hernandez said. “It was the first time in our season that we’ve been tested, and we got to see how we played. We grew from it.”
Alex Perry has been with Ball State since 2022 and has served as the associate athletic director for internal operations since that time.
After falling on their home court in last year’s conference championship, the Cardinals are hopeful for a deep postseason push, even with new faces manning key roles in the rotation.
In the quarterfinals of the Delaware County boys' basketball tournament, both Delta and Wapahani took victories to advance to Friday's semifinal round.
