Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Central Michigan Wednesday
January 09, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals hit the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play this season as they travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for a showdown against Central Michigan.
The Cardinals enter the night with an 11-2 record overall and a 2-0 mark in MAC play. They come into the game riding a five-game winning streak, including wins over Toledo and Western Michigan in conference play.
Central Michigan enters tonight's game with a 9-6 record overall and a 1-1 mark in MAC action. The Chippewas are coming off of a six-point loss at Northern Illinois after opening MAC play with a 13-point victory over Western Michigan.
In Good Company . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game in some select company as they are just one of five teams in the NCAA Division I to be ranked in the top 35 in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage. Ball State joins the likes of Maryland (17-0), Vanderbilt (14-2), Purdue (14-3), Middle Tennessee (12-3) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (11-3) to accomplish the trifecta.
The five teams in this selected group have a combined record of 65-11 so far this season, which is good for an 81.6 winning percentage.
Ball State is 14th in the nation in field goal percentage (47.2%), is 15th in three-point percentage (39%) and is 34th in free throw percentage (74.6%).
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals are off to a 11-2 start for just the second time in program history as they have matched the 1974-75 season for best record after 13 games. The 1974-75 team finished the season with a 17-6 record overall, but were 14-3 in the regular season.
The Cardinals have posted two five-game winning streaks so far this season as they opened the year tying a program-best start of 5-0.
Series History . . .
Tonight's game is the 53rd meeting all-time between Ball State and Central Michigan with the Cardinals trailing the all-time series by a 23-29 mark. The Cardinals though have won 16 out of the last 19 meetings against the Chippewas.
The two teams split the season series last year with each team winning on their home court. The Cardinals took home a 57-47 victory in the first meeting of the season at Worthen Arena. Guard Tina Bolte led the charge as she scored a 12 points for the Cardinals. BSU turned up its defense against the Chippewas as it held CMU to just 30.8 percent shooting from the field in the game and just six second half field goals.
Central Michigan took home a 59-58 victory over the Cardinals in the second game of the series in Mount Pleasant. The Cardinals lost their second half lead in the final minute of the game to suffer the loss.
Julie DeMuth paced the Cardinals off of the bench as she posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Forward Lisa Rusche added 11 points and guard Kelsey Corbin chipped in 10 points in the loss.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals are coming off of a 2-0 opening week in Mid-American Conference action, including a 76-60 victory over MAC-West Division rival Western Michigan on Saturday.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche paced the attack as she scored a team-high 15 points on seven-of-13 shooting from the field. Rusche scored 11 points in the second half, including nine in the Cardinals' game-deciding run. She fell just shy of a double-double as she finished with nine rebounds and posted three blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green posted her second double-double of the season as she scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Green connected on six-of-seven from the field in the game and grabbed eight of her 10 rebounds in the second half.
The Cardinals secured the victory with a 22-5 second half run that slammed the door shut on the Broncos. The run was keyed by Rusche who scored nine points in the spurt, including an old-fashioned three-point play that gave the Cardinals the lead for good.
Senior center Becca Bajorek added four points in the run off of the bench and Green chipped in four points as the Cardinals turned up the tempo on both ends of the court. The Cardinal defense forced the Broncos into an 0-for-10 slump as it notched three blocked shots.
Senior Kelsey Corbin had a strong all-around performance as she almost posted a double-double for the second straight game. Corbin finished the night with 10 points, eight assists and grabbed six rebounds for the Cardinals. Junior Julie DeMuth chipped in 12 points as four Cardinals scored in double figures.
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. Kent State is the only MAC team 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.
Milestone Victory . . .
Two weeks ago, 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 102-61 record into tonight's contest with the Chippewas in just her sixth season.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's contest with a 11-2 record on the season and have won five straight games. Ball State is averaging 75.2 points per game this season while allowing just 63.6 points per game. The Cardinals are connecting on 47.2% of their shots from the field, including 39 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 points per game. DeMuth also leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game and leads the team in assists with 59. Junior forward Lisa Rusche is third in scoring as she chips in 11.4 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.4 per game.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green is fourth in scoring as she averages 11 points per game. She also leads the team in steals at 37, is second in assists at 49 and in rebounds at 6.7 per game.
Freshman guard Audrey McDonald rounds out the double figure scoring as she averages 10.5 points and is connecting on 53.1 percent of her three-point shots this season.
Scouting the Chippewas . . .
Central Michigan enters tonight's game with a 9-6 record overall and a 1-1 mark in MAC play. The Chippewas opened conference action with a 13-point victory against Western Michigan before falling at Northern Illinois by six points.
Central Michigan is averaging 70.5 points per game this season while allowing 66.9 points per contest. The Chippewas are connecting on 41.5 percent of their shots overall and 33 percent of their three-point shots this season.
Ann Skufca leads the attack as she averages 11.5 points per game. She is second on the team in rebounding at 5.2 per game and leads the team in blocked shots at 32 on the year. Sharonda Hurd is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and leads the club in rebounding at six rebounds per game.
Did You Know? . . .
The Cardinals are 8-1 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 10-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark.
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 8-0 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 35.2 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 33.3 boards per game. BSU is third in the conference in rebounding margin at +1.9 boards per game.
Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .
Ball State is listed in the top 50 in eight statistical team categories in NCAA Division I heading into the week. Leading the charge statistically, the Cardinals are 14th in the nation in field goal percentage (47.2) and 15th in three-point percentage (39.0).
Also, the Cardinals are 23rd in three-pointers made per game (6.7), are 25th in assists per game (16.9), are 26th in won/loss percentage (84.6), 32nd in scoring offense (75.2), 34th in free throw percentage (74.6) and 48th in scoring margin (+11.5)
Individually, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is second in the nation in three point field goal percentage at 53.1. She only trails Kaylynn Flager of Idaho State who sits at 55 percent (22-of-40). McDonald is also 26th in three-pointers made per game at 2.6.
Sophomore Porchia Green is 43rd in the nation in steals per game and is not eligible for three-point percentage due to limited attempts. Senior Kelsey Corbin is 67th in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 and junior Lisa Rusche is 78th in blocked shots per game at 1.6.
RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals, off to a 11-2 start, is making some noise this year in the RPI rankings. Ball State enters the weekend ranked as high as 35th in the RPI by RealtimeRPI.com.
BSU is also listed 49th by the Sagarin Report, 50th by CollegeRPI.com and RPIRatings.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 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 8.2 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 (560)
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 two three-pointers to move into the top three long-range shooters all-time at Ball State as she would tie Markita Griffin for third at 152.
1st - Johna Goff (253)
2nd - Kate Endress (205)
3rd - Markita Griffin (152)
4th - Tina Bolte (150)
5th - Alana Hancock (139)
Lending a Helping Hand . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 59. 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 345. She needs just one assists to move into a tie for fifth place all-time with Jane Emkes.
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
5th - Jane Emkes (346)
6th - Kelsey Corbin (345)
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 continue their two-game Michigan swing on Saturday night as they travel to Eastern Michigan for a 7 p.m. contest.
