Head Coach Curt Miller and the women’s basketball team are about to go through the toughest stretch of their season schedule. They will begin that stretch tonight when they take on the Cardinals of Ball State in Muncie, Ind.
The Cardinals were the preseason favorite to win the conference title and thus far have lived up to those expectations. They head into tonight’s contest as one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Mid-American Conference. Miller believes that the Cardinals are one of the best offensive teams in the region.
“They dont have to have great defensive nights and still win a lot of games because they are so talented offensively,” Miller said. The Cardinals have been led offensively this season by forward Tamara Bowie, who leads both the team and the conference in scoring (20.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.2 rebounds per game). Bowie, however, is only one of five possible scoring threats that can win games for the Cardinals.
“All five players on the floor for Ball State can really exploit you and score 20 points at a time,” Miller said.
The Falcons will be looking for another solid performance from point guard Lindsay Austin, who led the team with 17 points in Saturday’s win over Central Michigan. Her constant hustle was also a major factor in the solid defensive effort the team put forth against the Chippewas. Her solid play has been a major part of the team’s success this season.
“She certainly gets us going, when she scores it’s just an absolutely added bonus because she makes everyone better on the floor when she’s scoring,” Miller said. “Her playing well has been no secret to why we’re playing well as a team. She’s our catalyst.”
Miller will also look for continued solid play from forward Francine Miller, who leads the team in scoring (13.9 points per game), rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game), and is tied with Austin for the team lead in steals with 2.4 steals per game. Miller provided the biggest spark on defense against Central Michigan, recording six steals. She was also a big contributor on offense, scoring 15 points.
According to Miller, the key to victory for the Falcons will be controlling the tempo of the game.
“They [Ball State] are obviously one of the most talented offensive teams in this region and in the country so we cannot get into a shootout with them,” Miller said. “Tempo is a big factor throughout the game.”
The Falcons will be looking for the success they enjoyed on defense against Central Michigan to carry over into tonight’s game. In addition, they will need to be successful in the rebounding column. The Cardinals have the number one and number three rebounders in the conference on their squad in Bowie and forward/center Jessica Reiter.
“One on one they have better rebounders than us, but that is going to be the story of the year for us,” Miller said. “We are going to have to team-rebound.”
The last time the two teams met, the Cardinals won going away, 89-60, on Jan. 19, 2002 in Muncie. In that game the Falcons stayed with the Cardinals for the first 20 minutes but were badly outplayed in the second half. Miller said that his team will be looking to play a more complete game this time around. Tipoff for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
