Ball State University Athletics
Women's Hoops on the Road to MAC West Division Leader
February 24, 2006 | Women's Basketball
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE:
Arena (Seating Capacity) Convocation Center (8,824)
Tip-off 7 p.m.
Television none
Webcast WCRD FM 91.3
Series Eastern Michigan leads 30-21
RADIO COVERAGE: The BSU-Eastern Michigan contest will be broadcast live by WCRD FM 91.3 . . . BSU's student-run station will carry 26 regular-season games plus all postseason competition . . . Sports director Nathan Rausch is in his second full season as a part of the broadcast team and will handle play-by-play duties this year . . . Joel Nickels will provide color commentary, while Kyle Trompeter will do sideline reporting . . . The WCRD broadcasts can be heard via the internet at the official web site of Ball State athletics: www.ballstatesports.com.
BALL STATE PROBABLE STARTERS:
1 Tina Bolte G 5-7 Jr./Jr. 10.5 ppg 2.3 rpg 1.0 apg 28.0 mpg
3 Porchia Green G 5-8 Fr./Fr. 3.1 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.2 apg 15.4 mpg
11 Kelsey Corbin G 5-9 Jr./Jr. 9.0 ppg 3.7 rpg 4.0 apg 27.0 mpg
52 Becca Bajorek C 6-2 Jr./Jr. 7.4 ppg 4.0 rpg 0.5 bpg 18.6 mpg
13 Raechelle Hampton C 6-2 Sr./Sr. 7.6 ppg 4.5 rpg 0.8 spg 25.1 mpg
OFF THE BENCH:
2 Stephanie Douglas G 5-9 Jr./Jr. 4.9 ppg 1.8 rpg 0.6 spg 12.3 mpg
12 Kiley Jarrett G 5-4 Fr./Fr. 3.8 ppg 1.5 rpg 2.8 apg 18.2 mpg
14 Julie DeMuth G 5-10 So./So. 11.6 ppg 9.5 rpg 2.0 spg 27.0 mpg
23 Erica Cotton G 5-8 Sr./Jr. 6.9 ppg 2.9 rpg 1.8 apg 23.8 mpg
25 Dana Moorman F 6-0 Fr./Fr. 0.3 ppg 0.4 rpg 0.0 apg 4.0 mpg
42 Lisa Rusche F 6-1 So./So. 2.7 ppg 2.7 rpg 0.5 bpg 10.6 mpg
44 Brandy Ross F 6-1 So./So. 1.3 ppg 1.2 rpg 0.2 apg 7.8 mpg
SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State is 15-10 overall and in third place in the Mid-American Conference West Division with an 8-6 mark . . . The Cardinals are just one game behind second-place Western Michigan and are one game ahead of fourth-place Northern Illinois . . . Julie DeMuth tops the team with 11.6 points, a MAC-leading 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game . . . Tina Bolte is second in scoring with her 10.5 average, while Raechelle Hampton is second in rebounding with 4.5 per game . . . Kelsey Corbin is dishing off a team-best 4.0 assists, while averaging 9.0 points each game . . . BSU averages 66.2 points and 38.2 rebounds, while giving up 65.1 points and 38.2 rebounds to its opponents.
SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN: Eastern Michigan is 19-6 overall and atop the West Division with a 13-1 mark . . . The preseason favorites' lone blemish on their MAC schedule is a 76-69 defeat at the hands of 25th-ranked Bowling Green . . . Ryan Coleman, a two-time first-team all-league selection, tops the team and ranks third in the MAC with 17.2 points per game . . . Nikki Knapp, a preseason all-league selection, is second with her 13.7 average, while Sarah VanMetre checks in at third with 10.2 points per game . . . Van Metre tops EMU with a 6.3 rebounding average . . . The Eagles lead the league in scoring defense (55.2 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.362), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.281) and rebounding margin (+5.2) plus are second in scoring margin, field goal percentage and defensive rebounds.
BALL STATE VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN: Eastern Michigan owns a 30-21 advantage in the series with Ball State, which dates back to a 75-66 EMU win Feb. 15, 1980 . . . The Eagles won the first 10 meetings between the teams and have been victorious in each of the last six . . . The Cardinals' last win over EMU was a 66-65 decision Feb. 1, 2003.
LAST TIME: Eastern Michigan escaped Muncie with a 66-58 victory Jan. 18, 2006 . . . Both teams were frigid from the field in the first half, but heated up for better than 64 percent in the second . . . Julie DeMuth was the lone Cardinal in double figures with her 15 points . . . Sarah VanMetre led a pack of four EMU players to reach double digits with 19 points . . . Patrice McKinney had 17 rebounds plus added 13 points.
BSU CAPTAINS: Juniors Tina Bolte and Kelsey Corbin plus sophomore Julie DeMuth are tri-captains of the 2005-06 squad . . . Corbin is in her second season as a captain for the Cardinals . . . All three players were regular starters on last season's team, which posted a 16-13 overall mark and an 11-5 MAC slate.
BALANCED BALL STATE: Ball State has had at least three players score in double figures in 17 games thus far . . . Four players reached double digits for the seventh time at Ohio Jan. 31 . . . BSU also accomplished the feat versus Evansville Nov. 22, against Butler Dec. 9, at Santa Clara Dec. 31, at Toledo Jan. 7, at Western Michigan Jan. 11 and at Miami Jan. 25 . . . In the Toledo game, two of the four players -- Julie DeMuth (24) and Kelsey Corbin (20) scored 20 or more points . . . Five hit the double-digit plateau against North Dakota State Nov. 27 . . . All 11 players who dressed against Lipscomb scored at least three points.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Ball State has held its last three opponents to under 60 points . . . The Cardinals have averaged 61.3 points over the three-game span, while holding their opponents to a 54.3 pace . . .BSU limited Western Michigan -- the MAC's then leading offensive team -- to a season-low 16 points in the first half of last Saturday's game . . . The Broncos' 55 total points tie for their third-lowest output of the season . . . Toledo's 49 points Feb. 15 mark the second-lowest effort for a BSU opponent this season.
OFF THE BENCH: Ball State got 30 points off its bench in Wednesday's loss at Central Michigan . . . Julie DeMuth scored 12 points, while Lisa Rusche contributed a career-high 11 off the bench . . . DeMuth added 16 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 29 minutes of work . . . Rusche was near perfect in her 12 minutes on the floor, making good on all five field goal attempts plus 1-of-2 from the line.
BECCA'S BACK: After missing the first 14 games of the season due to a hip injury, junior Becca Bajorek has played in each of Ball State's past 11 games . . . She made her first appearance of the campaign against Eastern Michigan Jan. 18 . . . Bajorek entered the game at the 17:06 mark in the second half and took just 49 seconds to score her first basket of the year . . . She made her first start of the season at Kent State Feb. 8 and has started each game since . . . She had a career-high 16 points against Toledo Feb. 15 . . . She also tied career-high marks in field goal attempts (11) and free throw attempts (6) versus the Rockets . . . As a starter, she is averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds . . . Bajorek started 17 games last season.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS: Sophomore Julie DeMuth is leading Ball State for the second-straight year in rebounding . . . She is averaging a MAC-best 9.5 per game . . . She has led BSU in rebounding 18 times this season . . . She has posted a MAC-leading 10 double-doubles in 2005-06 for a total of 12 in her career . . . DeMuth had 14 points and 10 boards against Valparaiso Dec. 4 after 19 points and 14 rebounds versus Illinois State Nov. 30 . . . She had 11 points and 13 rebounds vs. North Dakota State Nov. 27 . . . Her fourth double-double came Dec. 31 with 17 points and 14 rebounds at Santa Clara . . . Her fifth included a season-high 24 points 13 rebounds at Toledo Jan. 7 and her sixth ended with 10 points and 13 rebounds at Miami Jan. 25 . . . She totaled 18 points and 11 boards at Ohio Jan. 31 for her seventh and then 12 points and 18 rebounds at Kent State Feb. 8 . . . DeMuth tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds against Toledo Feb. 15 and her latest effort came with 12 points and 16 rebounds at Central Michigan Wednesday . . . The 18 rebounds at KSU tie her career high achieved last season versus the Flashes and ties for the fifth-best effort on BSU's single-game charts . . . It is also the best single-game effort in the MAC this season . . . DeMuth has 18 double-digit rebounding marks in her career and has led BSU in that category a total of 29 times . . . She also boasts 22 double-figure scoring efforts . . . Her 438 rebounds place No. 16 on Ball State career charts.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE/DOUBLE-DOUBLE: In its Dec. 31 game against Santa Clara, Ball State dominated the boards accumulating a season-high 54 . . . For the first time this season, BSU had two players tally double-doubles in the game -- Julie DeMuth and Raechelle Hampton . . . DeMuth had a game-high 17 points versus the Broncos plus pulled down 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the campaign . . . Hampton snared a career-high and game-leading 15 missed shots plus added 14 points for her first career double-double.
CORBIN TOP SERVER: Kelsey Corbin ranks first for Ball State and ninth in the MAC with 4.0 assists per game . . . She accumulated the third double-digit assist total of her career with 11 at Western Michigan Jan. 11 . . . She added 14 points against the Broncos to notch her second career double-double . . . Corbin tallied the second double-digit assist total of her career with 10 in BSU's opener against Murray State . . . Her 11 dishes versus Western Michigan ties her career high achieved against Miami March 10, 2004 . . . Corbin, who scored a season-high 20 points Jan. 7 at Toledo, has led the Cardinals in assists 12 times this season, including a game-high seven against Western Michigan last Saturday . . . In addition, she owns 12 double-figure scoring efforts in 2005-06 and a total of 24 in her career . . . She had 10 points at Central Michigan Wednesday, including a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line . . . Corbin boast a MAC-best .949 (37-of-39) from the line in league games only.
PETITE DISH: Kiley Jarrett accumulated the second double-digit assist mark of her career with 10 at Wright State Dec. 17 . . . BSU's shortest player at 5-foot-4, Jarrett dished off a team season-high 11 versus Evansville Nov. 22 . . . She is currently second on the team with 2.9 assists per game.
BOLTE EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR: Tina Bolte was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Second Team . . . Bolte owns a 3.49 GPA as a secondary education major . . . She is second for the Cardinals with 10.5 points per game . . . Her selection marks the fourth-straight year a BSU player has earned academic all-district honors.
IN MAC GAMES: Two players are averaging double-figure scoring marks in Ball State's 14 MAC games -- Julie DeMuth at 11.2 and Kelsey Corbin at 10.1 -- and two more players are just under double digits -- Tina Bolte at 9.8 and Erica Cotton at 9.7 . . .
DeMuth, Corbin, Bolte and Cotton rank 21st, 25th, 27th and 29th, respectively, in scoring in league games only . . . DeMuth tops the team with a league-best 10.0 rebounding average.
ROSTER UPDATE: Senior Krista Stewart has left the Ball State women's basketball program for personal reasons.
RECORD START: Ball State's 5-0 start to this season marked the best in school history . . . The five wins surpassed the 4-0 start of Brenda (Oldfield) Frese's 1999-2000 team . . . Four of the wins came in the friendly confines of Worthen Arena . . . Ball State's 6-1 start to the 2005-06 campaign has been bettered by just one other team in the 32-year history of women's basketball at the university . . . The 1975-76 squad began its campaign with a 7-1 record, before eventually finishing with a 13-6 mark.
WONDERFUL WORTHEN: Ball State is 52-18 in home games over the last six campaigns for a .743 rate of success . . . BSU, which is 9-3 in home contests this season, finished with an 8-5 mark at home in 2004-05 after a 6-5 slate during the 2003-04 season . . . BSU posted a 7-2 record at Worthen Arena in 2002-03, dropping two games by a combined total of nine points . . . With its first-round WNIT victory over Louisville March 13, 2002, Ball State finished with a program record 13-1 mark at Worthen Arena in 2001-02 . . . The previous best home record was the 2000-01 team's 9-2 ledger.
TV SCHEDULE SET: Ball State had a two-game television package this season with the Ball State Sports Network -- Jan. 14 vs. Central Michigan and Feb. 15 against Toledo . . . The Cardinals will also appear twice on Comcast Local -- Jan. 18 against Eastern Michigan and again Feb. 28 versus Northern Illinois . . . In addition, BSU's game at Ohio Jan. 31 was televised by FSN Ohio.
MAC PRESEASON POLL: In the 2005-06 MAC News Media Association Preseason Poll, Ball State was picked to finish third in the West Division . . . Eastern Michigan was tabbed as the favorite in the West with 132 points, including 20 first-place votes . . . Western Michigan was second (99), followed by BSU (86), Toledo (83), Northern Illinois (44) and Central Michigan (39) . . . Bowling Green, the 2005 MAC Tournament and regular-season champs, is the favorite in its division with 132 points, including 17 first-place tallies . . . Kent State was second (117), followed by Miami (93), Ohio (68), Buffalo (40) and Akron (33) . . . BGSU, which move back to the East Division at the advent of this school year, is the favorite to win the tournament with 15 points, followed by Kent State with five, Eastern Michigan with four and Western Michigan with one point.
FORMIDABLE FOE: When Ball State traveled to Duke Dec. 19, it faced a squad that was picked No. 1 in The Associated Press Preseason Poll and No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Preseason Poll . . . Duke, which currently ranks No. 1 in both polls, finished last season with a 31-5 overall record and ranked 7/8, respectively, in the final polls . . . When the Blue Devils visited Muncie Dec. 20, 2004, they were the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.
DEMUTH GARNERS MAC AWARD: Julie DeMuth was honored for the first time in her career with her selection as Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Dec. 5 . . . She gained the award after averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds over a two-game span . . . DeMuth notched her second and third-straight double-doubles of the season -- the fifth and sixth of her career -- with 19 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Illinois State Nov. 30 and then 14 points and 10 boards in a loss versus Valparaiso Dec. 4.
THE TRACY ROLLER SHOW: The Tracy Roller Show takes place each Monday night from 6 - 7 p.m. at Johnny Carino's in Muncie . . . The show, in its second season, is carried live on WCRD -- BSU's student-run radio station . . . Nathan Rausch, Joel Nickels and Kyle Trompeter host the show, which can be heard live on the web at www.ballstatesports.com.
BSU CAPTURES CLASSIC: BSU captured the championship of the first-ever Ball State Credit Union Classic Nov. 26-27 . . . BSU trounced Lipscomb 83-53 in the semifinals and then defeated North Dakota State 65-54 to win the title . . . The Cardinals averaged 74 points, 43 rebounds and 13 steals a game, while holding their opponents to 53.5 points, 35 rebounds and a cool .352 (38-of-108) field goal percentage . . . BSU also forced its two opponents into 47 turnovers . . . Julie DeMuth was selected as the classic's Most Valuable Player, while Kelsey Corbin were named to the all-tournament team . . . With its championship in the Classic, the Cardinals have captured non-conference tournament titles in each of the past four seasons -- all under head coach Tracy Roller and are 11-5 record in non-conference tournament competition.
HOME GROWN: Ball State's 2005-06 roster boasts five players from the state of Indiana -- juniors Tina Bolte (Columbus) and Kelsey Corbin (Fort Wayne), sophomore Julie DeMuth (Merrillville) and freshmen Porchia Green (Indianapolis) and Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington) . . . Bolte, Corbin and DeMuth were all full-time starters last season.
THROUGH MICHIGAN AND OHIO: If not from Indiana, you should look at Detroit, Mich., to find the homes of four more Cardinals -- Erica Cotton, Stephanie Douglas, Raechelle Hampton and Brandy Ross . . . Three more hail from the state of Ohio -- Becca Bajorek (Columbus), Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati) and Dana Moorman (Dayton).
LAST SEASON: Ball State concluded the 2004-05 campaign with a 16-13 overall record and an 11-5 Mid-American Conference mark . . . The Cardinals tied for second place in the West Division and earned the No. 5 seed in the MAC Tournament . . . The fifth-seeded Cardinals hosted 12th-seeded Akron in the first round and posted a 77-52 victory . . . In quarterfinal action at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, BSU's season was ended with a 72-64 loss at the hands of fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan.
IT'S ACADEMIC: The fall 2005 fall grading period marked the fifth-straight semester the Ball State women's basketball team has combined for a better than 3.00 grade-point average . . . The 13-member squad tallied a 3.09 GPA for the term . . . The team posted a 3.10 for the 2005 spring semester, a 3.02 for the 2004 fall semester, a 3.18 GPA for the 2004 spring semester and a 3.30 GPA for the 2003 fall semester . . . The 2005-06 team boasts an overall cumulative GPA of 3.07 with nine members netting 3.0 or higher marks . . . Kelsey Corbin tops the squad with a 3.69 cumulative GPA, followed by Tina Bolte at 3.49, Dana Moorman at 3.48, Becca Bajorek at 3.40, Lisa Rusche at 3.22, Raechelle Hampton at 3.16, Brandy Ross at 3.15, Julie DeMuth at 3.10 and Kiley Jarrett at 3.0.
THREE SIGN EARLY: Head coach Tracy Roller inked three players during the early signing period -- Indiana guards Kyleigh Jones (Elwood, Ind./Elwood H.S.) and Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo H.S.) plus post player Kalynne Proctor (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Regina H.S.) . . . Jones and McDonald are both Super Senior 25 preseason picks by Regional Roundball.
