First place in the Mid-American Conference is on the line when Ball State women's basketball hosts Central Michigan Saturday.

The Cardinals (19-8, 12-3 MAC) are second in the MAC West, one game behind the Chippewas (21-6, 13-2 MAC). The two teams are also currently in line to get the No. 1 and 2 seeds at the MAC Tournament.

"Should be a high-level game with both teams' ability to score and how well both teams shoot the ball," Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. "You just kind of run down the stat line of both teams and it just looks similar."

Ball State leads the MAC by hitting 45.3 percent of its shots and Central Michigan is second with 44.8 percent. The Chippewas, though, are second in the conference with 78.7 points scored per game, and Ball State is third with 76.0 points.

The Chippewas are second in the MAC with a 35.8 percent 3-point percentage and the Cardinals are third with a 34.1 percent 3-point shooting percentage, but Central Michigan held a significant advantage in its 101-92 win over Ball State Jan. 11.

"We've got to have a little bit of a different plan, I think," Sallee said. "We've got to be a little more conscious of what they're doing with the 3-point game. But it's easier said and done because they've got Tinara Moore, Reyna Frost and Jewel Cotton who can really hurt you down in the post ... there's a delicate balance there."

Moore, a junior foward, is Central Michigan's primary shot-blocker and leads the MAC with 2.2 blocks per game. Frost, a sophomore forward, leads the MAC with 11.0 rebounds per game, and Cotton, a redshirt senior forward, is second in the MAC with a 59.4 percent shooting percentage.

But senior center Renee Bennett fills all three roles for the Cardinals. She leads the team with 17.6 points (fifth MAC), 8.3 rebounds per game (fifth MAC) and a 55.9 percent shooting percentage (fourth MAC). She also blocks 0.8 shots per game, the second-best rate for Ball State.

"Every team we're playing is just selling out trying to keep her from killing them — and she still is," Sallee said. "We need her to be Player-of-the-Year good on Saturday."

Though there are still two more regular-season games after the Cardinals and Chippewas face off, the matchup could determine the top of the division — and the quality of the two teams has Sallee excited.

"Honestly, I think this is why our players chose to come to Ball State," Sallee said. "They knew they could play in these kinds of games."

Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Worthen Arena.

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