Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Indiana Monday
December 15, 2006 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals continue their seven-game road swing in the month of December tonight with a showdown against instate rival Indiana. Tonight's game marks the fourth contest between the Cardinals and another Indiana team this season as BSU has already defeated IPFW, Butler and Valparaiso.
The Cardinals enter with a 6-1 record overall and are coming off of a nine-point victory over Valpo. Indiana brings an 9-2 record into the meeting as it has won two straight games, including a victory Saturday night against Southern Illinois.
Series History vs. Indiana . . .
Tonight's meeting is the 25th contest all-time between the Cardinals and the Hoosiers. Ball State trails the all-time series 3-21 as Indiana has won 16 straight meetings against BSU. The Cardinals last won against Indiana in the 1977-78 season. This is the first meeting between the two schools since the 2003-04 season with Indiana took home a 71-62 victory here in Bloomington.
2003-04
Indiana 71 (H), BSU 62
2002-03
Indiana 103 (H), BSU 95 (30T)
1999-00
Indiana 72 (H), BSU 52
1997-98
Indiana 79, BSU 64 (N)
1995-96
Indiana 83 (H), BSU 74
1993-94
Indiana 82 (H), BSU 42
1992-93
Indiana 74, BSU 47 (H)
1991-92
Indiana 98 (H), BSU 42
1988-89
Indiana 81 (H), BSU 53
1984-85
Indiana 87 (H), BSU 45
1983-84
Indiana 91 (H), BSU 53
1981-82
Indiana 85 (H), BSU 62
1980-81
Indiana 87 (H), BSU 62
Indiana 67, BSU 59 (H)
1979-80
Indiana 65 (H), BSU 44
1978-79
Indiana 66 (H), BSU 44
1977-78
BSU 57, Indiana 47
Indiana 60 (H), BSU 53
1976-77
Indiana 73, BSU 61
Indiana 75 (H), BSU 68
1975-76
BSU 72, Indiana 62
BSU 68, Indiana 67
Indiana 59 (H), BSU 49
1974-75
Indiana 89 (H), BSU 60
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals improved to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 against Indiana teams with a 68-59 victory over Valparaiso at the Hoopla. The Cardinals closed the game on a 20-4 run over the final six minutes to pick up their sixth victory of the season and their first victory against Valpo since the 1989-90 season.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green keyed the Cardinals comeback as she recorded her first career double-double. Green scored a career-high 21 points as she was five-of-10 from the field and four-of-seven from three-point land. She also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, dished out five assists and tallied two steals in the all-around performance.
The Cardinals trailed by seven points at 55-48 with 6:19 remaining in the game before they started their game-changing run. Green was in the middle of the action as she started the run with a three-pointer gave the Cardinals the lead for good at 56-55 on another long-range shot.
After Green's third three-pointer in a four-minute stretch, freshman Audrey McDonald sealed the deal for the Cardinals. McDonald picked the pocket of the Valpo guard and converted an old-fashioned three-point play on a fast break to put BSU up by nine, 66-57.
Green was pivotal in the Cardinals' 20-4 run as she scored 11 points down the stretch on the strength of her three three-pointers. McDonald added five points in the run while senior guard Kelsey Corbin added a big basket in transition.
Corbin, making a return to her hometown, scored 15 points for the Cardinals as she was six-of-10 from the field. She dished out four assists and picked up two steals in the victory. McDonald finished with 11 points, five assists and two steals.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters tonight's game with a 6-1 record and are averaging 77 points per game while allowing just 63 points per game. The Cardinals are connecting on 47.5 percent of their shots from the field and 38.7 percent from three-point land.
All five starters for BSU are averaging double figures this season. Junior Julie DeMuth leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points and rebounding at 8.9 boards. Classmate Lisa Rusche is second on the team in scoring at 11.7 and rebounding at 7.1 boards.
Senior Kelsey Corbin adds 11 points and 26 assists while sophomore Porchia Green chips in 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 29 assists and 23 steals. Freshman Audrey McDonald rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.1 points per game.
Scouting the Hoosiers . . .
Indiana enters tonight game with a 9-2 record overall after knocking off Southern Illinois, 73-66, on Saturday night. The Hoosiers are averaging 71 points per game while allowing 64 points per game. IU is shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point land.
The Hoosiers are led in scoring by Nikki Smith at 13.7 points per game, including 43.1 percent shooting from three-point land. Jamie Braun is second in scoring at 10.1 points per game while adding 5.3 rebounds per contest. Whitney Thomas leads the team in rebounding at 8.8 rebounds per game.
Spreading It Around . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with all five starters averaging double figures in scoring on the season. The Cardinals are the only team in the Mid-American Conference to accomplish this feat. Bowling Green has four players averaging double figures while five teams have three players averaging double figures.
Rusche's Romp . . .
Junior forward Lisa Rusche turned in a stellar performance last weekend at the Hoosier Classic against Butler as she scored a career-high 36 points. Rusche's 36 points are the fourth most points scored all-time by a Cardinal in a game and the most since Tamara Bowie notched a program-best 40 points in 2002.
Rusche, whose previous career-high was 13 points, surpassed her old career-high just 12 minutes into the game on her way to 19 first half points. She connected on 15-of-23 from the field in the BSU victory and was six-of-eight from the charity stripe. She also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. She also dished out two assists, registered a block and a steal in just 30 minutes of action.
High-Flying Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals' offensive attack has been in high gear so far this season as BSU is averaging 77 points per game. The 77 points per game average is on pace for the fifth highest per game average in a single season at BSU. The 2000-01 Cardinals posted an 82.6 point per game average to lead the way in program history.
82.6 ppg - 2000-01
79.8 ppg - 2002-03
78.0 ppg - 2001-02
77.0 ppg - 2006-07
The Cardinals have also scored 90-plus points on two different occasions so far this season (92 vs. Howard; 97 at Butler). This marks the first time that the Cardinals have scored over 90 points in two games in a season since 2002-03.
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals are off to a 6-1 start, which matches their best record after seven games in program history. Ball State opened the season 6-1 in the 2005-06 and the 1975-76 seasons. The Cardinals have only opened the year 7-1 once in program history, coming in the 1975-76 team that finished the year 13-6.
Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .
Ball State's name is littered throughout the NCAA statistical rankings in the early part of the season as the Cardinals are in the top 45 in nine different team categories at the beginning of the week. Ball State is 18th in the nation in field goal percentage (47.5); 23rd in scoring offense (77.0); 24th in three-point percentage (38.7); 26th in assists per game (17.1); 27th in three-point field goals per game (6.6); 35 in free throw percentage (74.7); 36th in won/loss percentage (.857) 38 in scoring margin (+14.0); and 45 in steals per game (11.4).
Individually speaking, sophomore Porchia Green is 17th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (48.3) while freshman Audrey McDonald is 30th (45.7). Green is also 28th in the nation in steals per game at 3.3 and McDonald is 69th in three-pointers made per game at 2.3. Junior Julie DeMuth is 67th in the nation in free throw percentage (85.7) and 79th in rebounding (8.9).
RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals, off to a 6-1 start, are making some noise this year in the early RPI rankings. Ball State enters tonight's game ranked as high as 67th in the RPI by the Sagarin Report. BSU is also listed 69th by RealtimeRPI.com and 94th by CollegeRPI.com. The first NCAA RPI release is not sent out until February of each season.
Double-Trouble . . .
Junior Julie DeMuth led the Mid-American Conference in double-doubles last season as she posted 10 double dips as a sophomore. DeMuth posted her first double-double of the 2006-07 season against Wright State as she scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. She recorded her second double dip of the season on Wednesday night as she scored 28 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.
She moved into sole possession of third place all-time in career double-doubles at Ball State on Wednesday as she surpassed former BSU standout Kate Endress.
Below is a list of the all-time double-doubles in BSU history:
Emma Jones - 49
Tamara Bowie - 31
Julie DeMuth - 15
Kate Endress - 14
Countdown to 100 . . .
Head coach Tracy Roller is in her sixth season as the helm of the Cardinals and brings a 97-60 record into today's game. She is already the all-time winningest coach in BSU women's basketball history. She needs just three wins to become just the third basketball coach as Ball State, men's or women's, to reach 100 career victories with the Cardinals.
Roller moved into a tie for the third most wins in Ball State basketball history on Sunday as she tied Dick Hunsaker with 97 victories.
Jim Hinga (1954-68)
154-169
Ray McCallum (1993-2000)
126-76
Tracy Roller (2001-present)
97-59
Dick Hunsaker (1989-93)
97-34
Tim Buckley (2000-06)
93-87
Owning the Glass . . .
Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.9 rebounds per game.
She led the Cardinals and the MAC in rebounding last season with 249 boards. DeMuth became just the fourth Cardinal all-time to lead the MAC in rebounding joining the likes of Jessica Reiter (2004-05), Christy Jones (1999-00) and Karen Bauer (1981-82).
DeMuth's 249 rebounds were the eighth most in a single season at BSU.
She became just the 14th player in Ball State history to reach the 500-career rebound plateau with her 16-board effort against Illinois State. She currently sits in 12th place all-time in career rebounds with 520 as she surpassed Amy Zercher and Lisa Hicks last week.
9th - Shelley Silk (618)
10th - Alana Hancock (586)
11th - Glena Rusch (540)
12th - Julie DeMuth (520)
13th - Lisa Hicks (501)
14th - Amy Zercher (500)
It's Trey Day . . .
Senior Tina Bolte led the Cardinals last season with 67 three-pointers made on the year. Her 67 three-pointers were the fifth most in a single season at BSU and she enters tonight's game in sole possession of fourth all-time in career-three-pointers made with 140. She overtook Alana Hancock for fourth place with a three-pointer against Valparaiso. She needs just 12 three-pointers to move into the top three long-range shooters all-time at Ball State.
1st - Johna Goff (253)
2nd - Kate Endress (205)
3rd - Markita Griffin (152)
4th - Tina Bolte (140)
5th - Alana Hancock (139)
Lending a Helping Hand . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in assists this season as she has dished out 26 helpers. She became just the seventh player all-time to reach 300 career assists earlier this season. She enters tonight's game sixth all-time in career assists at 312.
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
5th - Jane Emkes (346)
6th - Kelsey Corbin (312)
7th - Alana Hancock (302)
8th - Michelle Baker (298)
Non-Conference Success . . .
The Cardinals are 6-1 so far this season in their non-conference schedule after posting an 7-4 mark in non-conference play last season. Ball State has four more non-conference games on the docket this season including tonight's game against Indiana.
The Cardinals posted their best non-conference record of 8-3 on two different occasions (2001-02 & 2000-01)
8-3 - 2001-02 & 2000-01
7-3 - 1989-90
8-4 - 2002-3
7-4 - 2005-06 & 1999-2000
History in the Making . . .
One game into the season and the Cardinals have already made some history. For the first time in program history, BSU had two true freshmen score in double figures in their collegiate debuts when Audrey McDonald and Kalynne Proctor recorded the feat against Michigan on Monday night. McDonald scored 14 points while Proctor added 10 points. They are the first set of freshmen to reach double figures in the first career game in the 33-year history of Cardinal women's basketball.
Corbin Honored . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin picked up Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors on Wednesday afternoon for her efforts against Michigan. The weekly honor is the first of her career for Corbin and she becomes the first Cardinal to win the award since Julie DeMuth took home the accolades last December.
Corbin led all scorers against the Wolverines with 16 points to guide the Cardinals to a four-point victory
Preseason Prognosticators . . .
Ball State was picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason poll conducted by league coaches and members of the MAC News Media Association.
Ball State received 157 total votes including six first place votes in the West Division as four different teams garnered first place tallies. Defending divisional champion Easter Michigan was picked to finish first in the West with 241 total votes and 21 first place votes while Western Michigan was tabbed for second with 188 votes and eight first place picks. Northern Illinois, Toledo and Central Michigan round out the preseason poll for the West Division.
Defending MAC Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Bowling Green was picked to repeat in the East Division with 245 total votes and 40 first place votes. Kent State was tabbed for second while Miami, Ohio, Buffalo and Akron round out the East Division predictions.
Radio Air Time . . .
The Cardinals will again have most of their games broadcast on the student station WCRD 91.3, including both exhibition games. All games broadcast by WCRD will also be streamed online at www.ballstatesports.com. Kyle Trompeter, Karl Mandik and Joel Nickels will do the honors for WCRD.
Ball State will also have 13 regular season games broadcast on Muncie's WXFN 1340 AM this season and two games broadcast on WERK 104.9 FM. Jay Garrison will handle the play-by-play duties this season. The 15 games broadcast on WXFN are:
Nov. 18 - Wright State
Nov. 25 - Howard
Nov. 26 - BSU Credit Union
Dec. 2 at Butler
Dec. 10 vs. Valparaiso *
Dec. 18 at Indiana *
Jan. 3 - Toledo
Jan. 6 - Western Michigan
Jan. 17 - Northern Illinois
Jan. 20 - Miami
Jan. 27 - Ohio
Feb. 11 - Kent State
Feb. 17 at Western Michigan
Feb. 21 - Central Michigan
Feb. 24 - Eastern Michigan
MAC TOURNAMENT
* - WERK 104.9 FM
Tracy Roller Show . . .
Head coach Tracy Roller will once again be on the air this season on WCRD and on www.ballstatesports.com with the Tracy Roller Show. The show will air on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. starting in December and will air live from Johnny Carino's on McGalliard.
Corbin's Corner . . .
Cardinal fans can get an inside look at the BSU women's basketball team this season from Corbin's Corner. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has been keeping an online journal through the entire preseason and will continue throughout her senior campaign on www.ballstatesports.com. Check out the weekly journal that updates each Friday afternoon.
Cardinal Schedule . . .
Ball State has a challenging 27-game schedule for the upcoming 2006-07 season. The schedule includes non-conference games against teams from the Big Ten, Horizon League and Conference USA as well as the Mid-Eastern, Independent, Big South, Missouri Valley, Metro-Atlantic and Atlantic 10 conferences. The Cardinals will also have a 16-game Mid-American Conference schedule this season.
The slate includes games against six teams that advanced to the postseason in 2006, including NCAA Tournament teams Tulsa and Bowling Green as well as WNIT participants Indiana, Xavier, Charlotte and Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals will also face nine teams that finished last season with an RPI of 150 or better, including seven against teams rated in the top 100 in RPI.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will continue their seven-game road swing in December on Friday night as they travel to Xavier in their final game before the holiday break.
