Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Opens MAC Play At Home Wednesday
January 02, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals return home to Worthen Arena for the first time since November as they open Mid-American Conference play against rival Toledo.
The Cardinals enter the game with a 9-2 record and have won three straight while Toledo has dropped three straight games and enters with a 4-8 record on the season.
Milestone Victory . . .
Saturday's 82-72 victory over Charlotte in the championship game of the SPC Holiday Classic was a milestone victory for head coach Tracy Roller as it was her 100th career victory at the helm of the Cardinals. Roller, who already the all-time winningest women's coach in program history, brings a 100-61 record into tonight's contest with the Rockets in just her sixth season.
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals are off to a 9-2 start for just the second time in program history as they have matched the 1974-75 season for best record after 11 games. The Cardinals opened the season by tying a program record with five straight victories to open the season.
MAC Opener History . . .
Tonight's game marks the start of the 26th Mid-American Conference season in Ball State history and the Cardinals are 11-14 all-time in conference openers. The Cardinals have won six of their last nine MAC openers heading into this season. Last season, BSU dropped an overtime game at Toledo in its opener.
Series History . . .
Tonight's game is the 54th meeting all-time between Ball State and Toledo with the Cardinals trailing the series by a 12-41 mark. The two teams have met at least twice per season in 25 of the past 26 seasons.
The Cardinals have won two out of the last three meetings with the Rockets, including the past two contests at Worthen Arena. Last season, the teams split the season series with the Cardinals taking home a 64-49 victory at home while dropping an 83-79 overtime game in Toledo.
In the victory, the Cardinals rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit and out-scored the Rockets 42-19 in the second half. Center Becca Bajorek paced the attack with 16 points while Kelsey Corbin added 16 points and five assists. Julie DeMuth posted a double-double off of the bench with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
In the overtime loss, DeMuth snatched another double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Corbin added 20 points and eight assists in the loss for the Cardinals.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals secured their second tournament championship of the season as they knocked off Charlotte, 82-72, on Saturday night in the SPC Aeropostale Holiday Classic.
Junior Julie DeMuth earned tournament Most Valuable Player accolades as she scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded three steals in the championship game. She posted a double-double in the first game of the tournament with 26 points and 10 rebounds to earn her second MVP honor of the season (BSU Credit Union Thanksgiving Tournament).
Sophomore guard Porchia Green picked up her first career All-Tournament honor as she led the Cardinals with a career-high 22 points against the 49ers. Green connected on eight-of-12 from the field as she scored 14 second half points and led the team with seven rebounds.
The Cardinals finished the game 32-of-55 (58.2%) from the field as they reached the 80-point plateau for the third time this season. Senior Kelsey Corbin finished the night with 16 points as she was seven-of-10 shooting from the field while classmate Tina Bolte added 13 points on five-of-10 shooting from the field. Freshman Audrey McDonald added nine points in the victory as BSU led from start to finish.
Spreading It Around . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with all five of its 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, ranked 19th in the country, and Kent State are the only MAC teams that have four players averaging double figures. Five other conference teams have three players averaging double figures in Eastern Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Western Michigan.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's contest with a 9-2 record on the season and have won three straight games. Ball State is averaging 74.6 points per game this season while allowing just 64.4 points per game. The Cardinals are connecting on 46.3% of their shots from the field, including 39.5 percent from three-point land.
Ball State has all five starters averaging double figures this season with junior Julie DeMuth pacing the effort with a team-high 15.5 points per game. DeMuth also leads the team in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game and second on the team in assists at 40. Freshman guard Audrey McDonald is third at 11.2 points and is connecting on 50.8 percent of her three-point shots this season.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green is fourth in scoring at 11.1 points per game, leads the team in assists at 43 and steals at 32 and is second in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game. Junior Lisa Rusche rounds out the double figure scorers as she chips in 10.4 points per game.
Scouting the Rockets . . .
Toledo enters tonight's game with a 4-8 record overall and has dropped three straight games. The Rockets are averaging 60.8 points per game while allowing 62.9 points per game this season. Toledo is connecting on 39.2 percent from the field on the year and just 26.4 percent from three-point land.
The Rockets only have one player averaging double figures with Diana Reindl pacing the team at 11.3 points per game. Savannah Werner is second on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per contest.
Non-Conference Success . . .
The Cardinals posted a program-best 9-2 record in the non-conference season this year. The nine victories are the most in a single season since Ball State joined the Mid-American Conference.
The Cardinals previously posted their best non-conference record of 8-3 on two different occasions (2001-02 & 2000-01)
9-2 - 2006-07
8-3 - 2001-02 & 2000-01
7-3 - 1989-90
8-4 - 2002-3
7-4 - 2005-06 & 1999-2000
Cleaning the Glass . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 7-0 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 35.5 boards per game. The Cardinals have controlled the boards on the other end as they lead the MAC in rebounding defense as they allow just 32.9 boards per game. BSU is third in the conference in rebounding margin at +2.5 boards per game.
Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .
The Cardinals as a team are in the top 51 in seven statistical categories in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Ball State is 11th in the nation in three-point percentage (39.5%), 21st in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (7.0), 25th in field goal percentage (46.3%), 35th in won-loss percentage (81.8%), 36th in scoring offense (74.6) and 51st in both free throw percentage (73.4%) and steals per game (10.5).
Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is fourth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 50.8%. She is also 22nd in the country in three-pointers made per game at 2.7.
Sophomore Porchia Green is 43rd in the nation in steals per game at 2.9 while junior Julie DeMuth is 75th in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game.
RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals, off to a 9-2 start, is making some noise this year in the RPI rankings. Ball State enters the weekend ranked as high as 36th in the RPI by RealtimeRPI.com.
BSU is also listed 53rd by the Sagarin Report and 55th by CollegeRPI.com and RPI Ratings. The first NCAA RPI release is not sent out until February of each season.
Midseason Tournaments . . .
The Cardinals have picked up two midseason tournament championships this season with the BSU Credit Union Classic and the SPC Holiday Classic. This is just the second season in which Ball State has secured two titles during the same year. The last time BSU accomplished the feat was in the 1999-2000 season.
Career Nights . . .
So far this season, Ball State has posted some strong individual performances. The Cardinals have had five different players turn in a career-high scoring performance so far this season. Freshman Audrey McDonald posted a new high on Friday as she scored 19 points against St. Peter's while sophomore guard Porchia Green turned in a career-high 22 points Saturday against Charlotte.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche leads the way with her 36-point effort against Butler while classmate Julie DeMuth added 28-points at Illinois State.
Freshman Kalynne Proctor each opened their collegiate careers in prime style with 10 points.
Owning the Glass . . .
Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.8 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 11th place all-time in career rebounds with 555 career rebounds. She needs just 31 rebounds to move into the top 10 all-time in rebounding.
9th - Shelley Silk (618)
10th - Alana Hancock (586)
11th - Julie DeMuth (555)
12th - Glena Rusch (540)
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 147. She overtook Alana Hancock for fourth place with a three-pointer against Valparaiso. She needs just five 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 (147)
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 40 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 326.
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
5th - Jane Emkes (346)
6th - Kelsey Corbin (326)
7th - Alana Hancock (302)
8th - Michelle Baker (298)
Double-Trouble . . .
Junior Julie DeMuth led the Mid-American Conference in double-doubles last season as she posted 10 double dips as a sophomore and already has recorded four double dips so far this season. DeMuth posted her first double-double of the 2006-07 season against Wright State as she scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. She has since added double-doubles against Illinois State, Xavier and St. Peter's/ She moved into sole possession of third place all-time in career double-doubles at Ball State earlier this month 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 - 17
Kate Endress - 14
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.
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.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as they host MAC foe Western Michigan. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Worthen Arena and is part of a doubleheader with the men's team.
