KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's basketball turns around tomorrow to host a rematch against the Ball State Cardinals on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Tip-off inside University Arena is set for 7 p.m.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Western Michigan's bout with Ball State will be available for streaming via ESPN3. The link to the stream is listed above, and can also be found HERE.
 
BREAKING DOWN BALL STATE (15-10, 8-7 MAC)
Ball State will enter Bronco territory on Wednesday following a matchup with WMU in Muncie on Monday. In the contest, the Cardinals emerged victorious by a 73-67 margin. BSU pulled in 43 team rebounds during the first of two meetings between the squads this season.

Four Cardinals posted double-digit evenings on Monday, led by senior forward Thelma Dis Augustsdottir, who finished with 14 points on 4-7 from deep, as well as a pair of steals. Fifth-year forward Chyna Latimer, freshman guard Ally Becki, and freshman forward Marie Kiefer all posted 12 points apiece, with Becki dishing out eight assists and pulling down five boards, and Kiefer registering a double-double thanks to her 11 rebounds.

Collectively, Ball State scores 71.1 PPG shooting at a rate of 43.1 percent from the field while allowing 67.8 PPG from opponents for a scoring margin of +3.3 on the campaign. That team field goal percentage is good for second in the MAC. The Cardinals also sink 32.1 percent of their looks from beyond the arc and 68.8 percent of their foul line chances for 8.8 made triples (second in the MAC) and 9.7 made free throws each time they hit the court.

On the glass, BSU pulls in 35.7 RPG and post a rebounding margin of -1.7 on the year. The Cardinals also dish out a MAC-best 15.52 assists per outing and post a turnover margin of +1.8 as a group. In the ever-changing conference standings, Ball State currently sits at fourth place, putting the Cardinals just one game ahead of WMU in terms of win percentage.

Leading the way for Ball State has been junior guard Anna Clephane, who posts 16.2 PPG on a shooting percentage of exactly 50.0, as well as 2.8 RPG. Unfortunately for BSU, Clephane has been sidelined since BSU's showdown with Kent State on Jan. 9 thanks to a knee injury. Junior guard Sydney Freeman is next for the Cardinals, averaging 10.6 PPG, 3.65 APG, and 2.8 RPG, while also connecting on 84.8 percent of her free throws.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (14-11, 8-8 MAC)
WMU will play host to Ball State for the second of their regular season contests this year following a road loss in Muncie on Monday. The difference in the game was BSU's six-point advantage in the second quarter, as the two teams scored exactly the same amount of points in the first, third, and fourth quarters.

A trio of Broncos had double-figure evenings, highlighted by the eighth double-double of Taylor Williams' season. The redshirt sophomore forward finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while also swiping three takeaways and sending back a pair of Cardinal shot attempts. Junior guard Sydney Shafer led all scorers with 19 points on 8-13 (61.5 percent) from the field to go along with two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Lauren Ross finished up the double-digit efforts for the Broncos with 13 points and four rebounds.

Collectively, WMU puts up an even 66.0 PPG on 41.3 percent shooting while limiting opponents to 63.6 PPG, which is third-lowest in the Mid-American Conference, for a scoring margin of +2.4 on the season. The Broncos also find nylon on 32.3 percent of their three-point attempts and 68.1 percent of their opportunities from the line for 7.2 made threes and 11.6 good freebies each time they hit the hardwood. WMU currently sits in seventh place in the Mid-American Conference standings, making the final two weeks of the regular season of paramount importance for conference tournament seeding.

Western Michigan has been ushered in terms of scoring this season by Lauren Ross, who currently sits at fifth place conference-wide in scoring and field goal percentage with 18.71 PPG at a rate of 44.7 percent from the floor while grabbing 5.1 RPG. Furthermore, Lauren earned both Player of the Week and Female Scholar Athlete of the Week honors last week, and is the first Bronco to win both awards in the same week since Carrie Moore in November of 2006.

The forward duo of Taylor Williams and Reilly Jacobson, as well as strong bench productivity, have all been crucial to WMU success in conference play this season, with the two posts combining for 11 double-doubles this season. Jacobson returned to the Bronco lineup from injury on Monday, registering seven points on 3-4 from the field and four rebounds in just under 20 minutes of game action. The Bronco bench also outscored the Ball State subs 29-14 on Monday thanks to a big night from Sydney Shafer.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Following Wednesday's battle with Ball State, Western Michigan will host the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday, Feb. 26 for a 2 p.m. tip. Saturday will also be senior day, recognizing and thanking each of the Bronco seniors for their efforts in their careers at WMU.

Wednesday's face off against Ball State will be the Broncos' Play 4 Kay Game, and WMU will be joined by the West Michigan Cancer Center to show our support for their cause in an effort to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer.

The squad will sport pink accessories on-court and pink pom-poms will be given out to each fan who attends. Fans will also have an opportunity to create signs in honor of friends/loved ones who have had personal battles with the disease, and are encouraged to show their support by wearing pink to the game.

Students get into all WMU home games with a valid Bronco ID, and further ticket information can be found at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets, or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX. We will see you all inside The Zoo tomorrow night!

#LetsRide