Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Akron Tuesday
January 23, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . .
The Cardinals hit the road for a rare Tuesday night contest as they travel to Mid-American Conference East Division foe Akron. The Cardinals enter the game with a 15-2 record overall and carry a nine-game winning streak into the contest.
Akron comes into the game with a 7-11 record overall and are 0-6 in the MAC this season. The Zips have dropped six straight games after closing out their non-conference schedule with six straight wins.
Receiving Votes . . .
For the first time since the 2000-01 season, the Ball State women's basketball team has garnered votes in the latest edition of the Associated Press National Poll that was released on Monday afternoon. The Cardinals, off to the best start in program history at 15-2, picked up two votes to sit in a tie for 38th place in the Week 12 poll.
Ball State is receiving votes for the first time since the 2000-01 season. That year, the Cardinals entered the poll with nine votes in 38th place and moved as high as 28th place three weeks later with 28 total votes.
The Cardinals are one of two MAC teams to receive votes this week in the AP poll as Bowling Green is ranked 16th in this week's poll.
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals are off to their best start in program history after 17 games with a 15-2 overall record. The Cardinals surpassed the 1974-75 season for the best start with the win at Eastern Michigan.
The Cardinals are also 6-0 in MAC play for just the second time in program history. BSU opened the 2000-01 season with eight straight victories top open MAC action.
Winning Streaks . . .
The Cardinals have won nine straight games heading into Tuesday's contest at Akron. The nine-game winning streak is the second longest winning streak in program history. The Cardinals won a record 11-straight games in the 2000-01 season and have won eight games in a row during the 2001-02 and 1974-75 seasons.
The nine-game winning streak is also tied for the ninth longest current winning streak in NCAA Division I with Bowling Green and George Washington. The nation's longest winning streak is 22 games by North Carolina.
11 games
(2000-01)
Nine games
(2006-07)
Eight Games
(2001-02 & 1974-75)
Six Games
(2002-03, 1985-86)
Series History . . .
Tonight's game is the 23rd meeting all-time between Ball State and Akron with the Cardinals holding a 14-8 record against the Zips. BSU has won eight straight games against Akron, including two victories last season.
In the regular season, the Cardinals took home a 67-66 victory over the Zips. Guard Tina Bolte hit the game-winning three-pointer to give the Cardinals the lead with nine seconds remaining to preserve the victory. Kiley Jarrett made her first career start in the place of injured Kelsey Corbin. Jarrett scored 13 points and dished out a career-high eight assists while making just one turnover in the victory.
The Cardinals and the Zips met again at Worthen Arena in the first round of the MAC Tournament with BSU taking home a 71-46 victory. Bolte again came up big for the Cardinals as she scored a team-high 14 points on four-of-eight shooting from three-point land.
BSU had 10 different players score in the victory as Corbin added nine points and Jarrett chipped in eight points.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals ran their winning streak to nine-straight games as they downed rival Miami, 90-62 at Worthen Arena. For the second straight game, the Cardinals set fire to the nets from long range as they connected on 66.7 percent (eight-of-12). BSU shot a season-high 60.7 percent (34-of-56) from the field to improve its best start in school history to 15-2.
The 66.7 percent shooting from long-range is tied for the third highest in a single game in BSU history while the 60.7 percent from the field is sixth highest in a single game.
The Cardinals had a season-high 10 different players score in the victory, including eight players with seven or more points. Junior Julie DeMuth and sophomore Porchia Green led the charge with 16 points each.
DeMuth finished just shy of a double-double as she grabbed nine rebounds and finished tied for the team-lead with three steals. Green was five-of-six from the field, including two three-pointers, and also hit all four of her free throws.
BSU notched 36 points off of the bench in the victory as freshman Kalynne Proctor scored a career-high 11 points to pace the reserves. Proctor connected on four-of-seven shooting from the field and also grabbed five rebounds. Sophomore Kiley Jarrett also turned in a strong performance as she scored nine points, dished out five assists and tallied three steals.
Hot Shooting . . .
The Cardinals lit up the nets the past two games from long range as BSU posted back-to-back nights of 66.7 percent shooting from three-point land. The 66.7 percent is tied for the third highest in a single game in BSU history. The Cardinals connected on 10-of-15 against Northern Illinois and eight-of-12 against Miami.
Protect This House . . .
The Cardinals are 7-0 this season at home at Worthen Arena and have won a school record 11 straight home games dating back to last season. BSU's 28-point victory over Miami on Saturday gave the Cardinals the record as it surpassed the 10-game home winning streak between the 2000-01 season and the 2001-02 season.
The current 11-game home winning streak is tied for the 16th longest current home winning streak in NCAA Division I. BSU is tied with Purdue for 16th place. LSU leads the nation with 40 consecutive home victories while Bowling Green is second at 26 straight.
11 straight home victories
(2005-06 - 2006-07)
10 straight home victories
(2000-01 - 2001-02)
Nine straight home victories
(1999-00 - 2000-01)
Spreading It Around . . .
The Cardinals are the only team in the Mid-American Conference this season that has all five starters averaging double figures on the season. Julie DeMuth leads the charge at 14.7 followed by Kelsey Corbin (11.4), Porchia Green (11.3), Lisa Rusche (10.6) and Audrey McDonald (10.5).
Kent State is the only team in the MAC that has four players averaging double figures. Six MAC teams have three players averaging double figures (Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan)
RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals and their 15-2 record have been making a steady climb in the RPI rankings this season. The Cardinals enter tonight's game rated as high as 23rd by RealtimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are rated 34th by both CollegeRPI.com and RPIRatings.com. BSU rounds out the RPI ratings at 40th by the Sagarin Report.
The Cardinals are also listed in the first projected bracket as an at-large team by CollegeRPI.com.
Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .
The Cardinals can be found all over the NCAA statistical reports this season, both as a team and as individuals. The Cardinals are in the top 50 in seven statistical categories as a team and in the top 100 in 12 categories.
Ball State's highest team category is third in the nation in three-point percentage at 40.5 percent. BSU trails the top spot slightly, as Vanderbilt is in first at 41.3 percent. The Cardinals are also 10th in the nation in field goal percentage at 47.3 percent are and are 16th in won/loss percentage at .882.
The Cardinals are also 23rd in scoring offense (75.1), 24th in assists per game (16.9), 25th in three-point field goals per game (6.6), and 40th in scoring margin (+12.0).
Individually speaking, freshman Audrey McDonald is second in the nation in three-point percentage at 50.6. She trails just Sidney Spencer of Tennessee (51.9) for the top spot. McDonald is also 36th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.5.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green is 55th in the nation in steals per game at 2.6. Senior Kelsey Corbin is 63 in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 while junior Julie DeMuth is 76th in the nation in rebounding at 8.6.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 15-2 record overall and a 6-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference. BSU has won nine straight games, including six straight against MAC teams.
The Cardinals are averaging 75.1 points per game this season and are allowing just 63.1 points per game. They are connecting on 47.3 percent of their shots from the field, including 40.5 percent from three-point land.
Ball State has all five starters averaging double figures in scoring this season. Junior Julie DeMuth leads the charge as she averages 14.7 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.6 boards per game.
Senior Kelsey Corbin is second in scoring at 11.4 points per game and leads the team with 77 assists on the year. Sophomore guard Porchia Green is third in scoring as she averages 11.3 points per game. She is second in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game, second in assists at 60 and leads the team in steals at 44.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.2 boards per game.
Freshman guard Audrey McDonald rounds out the double figures scorers as she chips in 10.5 points per game. She has connected on a team-best 42 three-pointers and is shooting 50.6 percent from three-point land.
Scouting the Zips . . .
Akron comes into tonight's game with a 7-11 record overall and an 0-6 mark in MAC play. The Zips have dropped six straight contests after winning six straight non-conference games.
Akron is averaging 59.4 points per game this season and allowing 63.7 points per game on defense. The Zips have connected on 39.9 percent of their shots from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point land.
Akron is led in scoring by Niki McCoy who averages 14.3 points per game. She leads the team in rebounding at 6.4 boards per game. Sarah Tokodi is second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game.
Cleaning the Glass . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 10-0 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 36.1 boards per game. The Cardinals have controlled the boards on the other end as they are second in the MAC in rebounding defense as they allow just 33.4 boards per game. BSU is second in the conference in rebounding margin at +2.6 boards per game.
Assist Machine . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has been dishing out assists left and right through the first five games of MAC play this season. Corbin, who leads the team with 77 assists on the year, is averaging a league best 6.2 assists per game in conference games. She dished out 11 assists against Toledo, eight helpers against Western Michigan, seven assists at Central Michigan and six helpers at Eastern Michigan.
Did You Know? . . .
The Cardinals are 11-1 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 12-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark.
DeMuth Honored . . .
Junior forward Julie DeMuth became the second Cardinal this season to earn MAC-West Division Player of the Week honors when she received the accolade last week. DeMuth led the Cardinals to back-to-back victories at Central Michigan and at Eastern Michigan.
DeMuth, a preseason All-MAC recipient, posted back-to-back double-doubles in the Cardinals' victories at Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. She posted a double-double at Central Michigan with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the overtime victory. She followed that up with a 14 point, 14 rebound effort at preseason MAC-West Division favorite Eastern Michigan.
DeMuth leads the Cardinals in scoring and rebounding this season as she averages 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She is tied for second in the conference in rebounds per game and is eighth in scoring in the MAC. She has now recorded six double-doubles this season and tallied 19 for her career.
Milestone Victory . . .
Earlier this season, the Cardinals claimed an 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. She becomes just the third coach, men's or women's, in Ball State history to reach 100 career victories as she joins Ray McCallum and Jim Hinga. Ironically, both Roller and McCallum both reached 100 victories in their 162nd game.
Roller, who already the all-time winningest women's coach in program history, brings a 106-61 record into today's contest against Akron.
Television Exposure . . .
The Cardinals will have four MAC games televised this season, with two games as part of the MAC television package and two games on the Ball State Sports Network (BSSN).
The Cardinals were on BSSN for the first time this season Wednesday against Northern Illinois. Former BSU player Raechelle Hampton provided color commentary, along with play-by-play from Wil Hampton.
The Cardinals return to the BSSN on Jan. 27 when they host Ohio at Worthen Arena at 1 p.m. Hampton will again provide play-by-play duties while former BSU standout Kate Endress will provide the color commentary.
Ball State, who has already appeared on Comcast Local once this season, will have back-to-back MAC games aired later this season. The Cardinals' Feb. 17 game at Western Michigan and the Feb. 21 game at home against Central Michigan will be seen on Comcast Local.
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
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.
MAC Stats . . .
Heading into today's game, the Cardinals have all five starters in the top 32 in scoring in the MAC with Julie DeMuth (8th), Kelsey Corbin (24th), Porchia Green (25th), Lisa Rusche (31st) and Audrey McDonald (32nd). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 17 in rebounding with DeMuth (3rd), Green (12th) and Rusche (17th).
Freshman Audrey McDonald is first in the MAC in three-point shooting at 50.6 percent while Green is second at 47.4 percent. Two Cardinals are in the top eight in field goal percentage with Corbin (4th) and Rusche (8th).
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 recorded a career-high 23 points against Northern Illinois. Sophomore guard Porchia Green turned in a career-high 22 points 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 recorded a new career-high on Saturday afternoon as she scored 11 points against Miami.
Owning the Glass . . .
Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.6 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 moved into 10th place all-time in career rebounds with her 14-rebound effort at Eastern Michigan. She sits alone in 10th with 604 career boards as she past Alana Hancock.
7th - Jamie Lehotsky (642)
8th - Char Thomsen (630)
9th - Shelley Silk (618)
10th - Julie DeMuth (604)
11th - Alana Hancock (586)
12th - Glena Rusch (540)
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.
She took over sole possession of third place all-time in career-three-pointers mad on Wednesday night as she overtook Markita Griffin.She is alone in third place with 155 career three-pointers.
1st - Johna Goff (253)
2nd - Kate Endress (205)
3rd- Tina Bolte (155)
4th - Markita Griffin (152)
5th - Alana Hancock (139)
Lending a Helping Hand . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 77. She became just the seventh player all-time to reach 300 career assists earlier this season. She enters tonight's game fifth all-time in career assists at 363. She just passed Jane Emkes to move into the top five with her seven-assist performance at Central Michigan. She needs two assists to move into fourth place all-time in career assists and would pass Stephanie McQuinne for the spot.
1st - Shala Crook (628)
2nd - Jenny Eckert (471)
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
5th - Kelsey Corbin (363)
6th - Jane Emkes (346)
7th - Alana Hancock (302)
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 six double dips so far this season. She is currently second in the MAC this season with her six double-doubles.
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, St. Peter's, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. 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 - 19
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. 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 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
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will return home to Worthen Arena on Saturday afternoon as they host Ohio at 1 p.m.
