Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Western Michigan Saturday
January 05, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals continue their Mid-American Conference opening week as they host Western Michigan in the second game of today's double header. The Cardinals enter the game with a 10-2 record overall and a 1-0 mark in MAC play while the Broncos come in with a 7-8 record overall and an 0-1 mark in conference action.
Milestone Victory . . .
Last Saturday, 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. Roller, who already the all-time winningest women's coach in program history, brings a 101-61 record into today's contest with the Broncos in just her sixth season.
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals are off to a 10-2 start for just the second time in program history as they have matched the 1974-75 season for best record after 12 games. The 1974-75 team opened the year 11-2 to mark the best start in program history.
The Cardinals opened the season by tying a program record with five straight victories to open the season.
Series History . . .
Today's game is the 55th meeting all-time between Ball State and Western Michigan with the Cardinals trailing the series, 23-31. BSU holds a 15-13 record all-time against WMU in Muncie.
The Cardinals have won three straight against the Broncos, including a season series sweep last year. In Kalamazoo, the Cardinals took home an 81-70 victory as they rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to out-score WMU, 56-39, in the second half. Guard Tina Bolte led the charge as she scored 22 points while Kelsey Corbin posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.
Ball State completed the season sweep with a 62-55 victory at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals jumped out to a 25-16 first half lead and held off the Broncos in the second half. Bolte scored a team-high 17 points as she connected on five-of-nine from three-point land. Center Becca Bajorek added 10 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals opened Mid-American Conference action with a strong showing on Wednesday night as they downed West Division rival Toledo, 80-59, at Worthen Arena.
Ball State was firing on all cylinders offensively as it connected on 57.9 percent of its shots from the field, including 66.7 percent in the second half. The Cardinal offense dished out a season-high 26 assists while the defense forced Toledo into 26 turnovers in the victory.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin led the way offensively as she recorded her first double-double of the season and third of her career. She scored 14 points on six-of-seven shooting from the field and tied her career-high with 11 assists.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche turned in a strong effort as she scored a game-high 18 points. Rusche was nine-of-15 from the field and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. She also led the charge on the defensive end with a season-high three blocked shots.
Julie DeMuth finished the night with 13 points on five-of-eight shooting and also dished out three assists. Porchia Green added seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a game-high four steals in the all-around effort. Senior Becca Bajorek added nine points off the bench for the Cardinals.
Spreading It Around . . .
The Cardinals enter today'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. Kent State is the only MAC teams that have four players averaging double figures. Six other conference teams have three players averaging double figures in Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Western Michigan.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter today's contest with a 10-2 record on the season and have won four straight games. Ball State is averaging 75.1 points per game this season while allowing just 63.9 points per game. The Cardinals are connecting on 47.3% of their shots from the field, including 40 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 15.3 points per game. DeMuth also leads the team in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game and leads the team in assists with 51. Freshman guard Audrey McDonald is third at 11.0 points and is connecting on 53.2 percent of her three-point shots this season.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche is tied for third in scoring as she chips in 11 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Sophomore guard Porchia Green rounds out the double figure scorers as she averages 10.8 points per game. She also leads the team in steals at 36, is second in assists at 47 and in rebounds at 6.8 per game.
Scouting the Broncos . . .
Western Michigan enters today's game with a 7-8 record on the season and an 0-1 mark in MAC action. The Broncos are coming off of a 91-78 loss at Central Michigan on Wednesday night in their MAC opener.
WMU is averaging 72.7 points per game this season while allowing 74.3 points per game. The Broncos are connecting on 43.2 percent of their shots from the field this season and 31.7 percent of their three-pointers.
The Broncos are led by guard Carrie Moore who leads all NCAA Division I scorers at 26.2 points per game. Lindsey Brown is second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 9.1 boards per game.
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 at the beginning of the week. 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 10-2 start, is making some noise this year in the RPI rankings. Ball State enters the weekend ranked as high as 42nd in the RPI by RealtimeRPI.com.
BSU is also listed 56th by RPIRatings.com, 59th by the Sagarin Report and 61st by CollegeRPI.com. 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 opener her collegiate career 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 8.5 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 sits in 11th place all-time in career rebounds with 560. She needs just 26 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 today's game in sole possession of fourth all-time in career-three-pointers made with 148. She overtook Alana Hancock for fourth place with a three-pointer against Valparaiso. She needs just four 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 (148)
5th - Alana Hancock (139)
Lending a Helping Hand . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 51. She became just the seventh player all-time to reach 300 career assists earlier this season. She enters today's game sixth all-time in career assists at 337.
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
5th - Jane Emkes (346)
6th - Kelsey Corbin (337)
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 three 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 next week as they hit the road for two games in the state of Michigan. Ball State will face off against Central Michigan on Wednesday and Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
