Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Evansville Tonight
December 08, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals conclude a gruelling eight-day stretch this evening as they are playing their fourth game in the past eight days and the third game in the past five days. Ball State is set to face off against instate foe Evansville tonight, marking the third straight game for the Cardinals against a team from the Missouri Valley Conference.
DeMuth National Candidate . . .
Senior forward Julie DeMuth has been named a candidate for the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award as one of the nation's top 30 senior female college basketball players.
The award, presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in eight sports, focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition. Lowe's, an official corporate sponsor of the NCAA, will award the winners with trophies during the NCAA Final Four.
DeMuth is the only player from the Mid-American Conference named as a candidate. She is joined on the list with BSU men's basketball player Peyton Stovall. Ball State joins Tennessee, Texas A&M and the United States Military Academy as the only schools with both a male and female candidate. The two are also the first in either sport in Ball State history to be among the top 30 candidates.
Series History . . .
Tonight's game is the seventh meeting all-time between Ball State and Evansville. The series is tied at three games apiece with the Cardinals taking home victories during the 1984-85, 1990-91 and the 2005-06 seasons. The Cardinals are 0-2 all-time against the Purple Aces in Evansville though with losses coming in 1997-98 and 2004-05.
The last meeting between the two teams came in the 2005-06 season when the Cardinals took home a 76-69 victory at home at Worthen Arena. Ball State recorded 15 steals in the victory with Porchia Green leading the charge with a game-high five steals. Green also added 15 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field.
Guard Kiley Jarrett dished out a career-high 11 assists in the victory while forward Julie DeMuth added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Series History
1984-85 W 62-58 N
1990-91 W 77-70 H
1996-97 L 59-82 H
1997-98 L 59-68 A
2004-05 L 73-84 A
2005-06 W 76-69 H
Series Tied 3-3
Home: 2-1, Away: 0-2, N.: 1-0
Looking Back . . .
The Cardinals mounted a courageous second half comeback on Thursday evening before falling short of instate rival Indiana State, 61-57 at the Hulman Center. The Cardinals turned in a stellar second half effort against the Sycamores as they rallied from a 22-point halftime deficit to pull within three points in the final minute.
Ball State rallied together as a team in the second half after suffering a pair of injuries to starters and saw its bench turned in 20 second half points.
Redshirt freshman Kyleigh Jones sparked the second half effort as she scored a career-high 13 points, 11 of which came in the second frame. Jones connected on three-of-four from three-point land in the second half as she stepped up her play while subbing for the injured Kiley Jarrett.
Junior guard Porchia Green scored a game-high 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded three steals in leading the Cardinals' comeback. Green connected on five-of-nine from the field and was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line.
The Cardinals dominated play in the paint as they out-scored ISU 38-21 down low, including 26-10 in the second half. Freshman forward Emily Maggert, senior forward Lisa Rusche and junior Dana Moorman combined to score 22 points in the post as they worked together after senior forward Julie DeMuth missed the second half due to an injury.
Maggert finished the night with nine points, six of which came in the second half while also grabbing four rebounds. Rusche posted her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She grabbed a season-high six offensive rebounds and finished the night five-of-11 shooting from the field. Moorman added three points and three rebounds.
Ball State's shooting woes continued in the first half as the Cardinals connected on just 20 percent (seven-of-35) from the field, including missing all eight three-point shots in the opening frame. The 15-point first half output for the Cardinals is the lowest of the season for BSU.
Ball State regrouped in the locker room and came out displaying heart from the start as chipped away at the deficit. The Cardinals' shooting reversed course in the second half as they connected on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from the field as they out-scored Indiana State 42-24 in the second half.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 3-6 record on the season as they have dropped four straight games, three of which have come on the road. Ball State is averaging 63 points per game while allowing 67.2 points against.
The Cardinals are shooting 41.3 percent as a team, including 37.1 percent from three-point land. Senior forward Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals in scoring as she averages 14.0 points per game. She also leads the team on the boards at 7.4 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Porchia Green is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game. She also chips in 5.0 rebounds per game, leads the team in assists with 33 and is second in steals with 14. Senior forward Lisa Rusche is third on the team in scoring at 9.7 points per game and second in rebounding at 5.6 boards per contest.
Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.1 points per game and has connected on 40 percent (20-of-50) from three-point land. Junior guard Kiley Jarrett adds 6.6 points per game while freshman forward Emily Maggert leads the reserves at 5.9 points per game.
Scouting The Purple Aces . . .
Evansville enters tonight's game with a 4-4 record on the season and are coming off of an 81-75 loss at Butler on Thursday night. The Purple Aces are averaging 69.5 points per game this season while limiting opponents to 69.9 points against per game. Evansville is shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from three-point land.
Courtney Felke leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game and has connected on 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from three-point land. Rebekah Parker is second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game and is second in rebounds at 6.0 per game.
Ashley Austin adds 9.3 points per game while Shannon Novosel chips in 8.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game.
Cardinals In MAC Stats . . .
Through the early part of the season, the Cardinals find themselves sprinkled throughout the Mid-American Conference individual statistics. Ball State is the only team in the MAC to have four players in the top 28 in scoring heading into the week. Senior forward Julie DeMuth is 10th in scoring (14.0), junior guard Porchia Green is 17th (11.6), senior forward Lisa Rusche is 23rd in scoring (9.7) and sophomore guard Audrey McDonald is 28th (9.1).
Green also is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.488), fifth in three-point percentage (.421), eighth in assist/ turnover ratio (1.18) and eighth in assists (3.67).
DeMuth is eighth in rebounding (7.4) and tied for ninth in free throw percentage (.778). Rusche is 13th in field goal percentage (.448) and seventh in steals (1.88). McDonald is ninth in three-point percentage (.400), sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.2) and sixth in minutes per game (33.22).
Junior point guard Kiley Jarrett is 10th in assists (3.56) and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.52).
DeMuth In The Records . . .
Senior forward Julie DeMuth is moving up the all-time charts in numerous statistical categories. DeMuth is in the top 15 in all-time double-doubles, scoring, rebounds, free throws made, free throws attempted and steals.
She is second all-time in free throws made, third all-time in free throws attempted, third all-time in double-doubles, fourth all-time in rebounds, eighth all-time in steals and 12th all-time in scoring.
DeMuth needs just 10 more free throws made to become the all-time leader in career free throws in BSU history. She moved into 12th all-time in scoring on Thursday evening against Indiana State. She past former Cardinal Kelli Hipsher for sole possession of 12th place.
Double-Doubles
1. Emma Jones - 49
2. Tamara Bowie - 31
3. Julie DeMuth - 26
Points
10. Jessica Reiter - 1,171
11. Shala Crook - 1,162
12. Julie DeMuth - 1,142
13. Kelli Hipsher - 1,138
Rebounding
3. Tamara Bowie - 933
4. Julie DeMuth - 798
5. Karen Bauer - 760
Free Throws Made
1. Tamara Bowie - 379
2. Julie DeMuth - 370
Free Throws Attempted
1. Tamara Bowie - 510
2. Emma Jones - 504
3. Julie DeMuth - 493
Steals
7. Emma Jones - 168
8. Julie DeMuth - 158
9. Jane Emkes - 155
DeMuth Honored . . .
Senior forward Julie DeMuth was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week after guiding the Cardinals to the La Quinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Tournament title. DeMuth was named Tournament Most Valuable Player for her efforts in BSU victories against Vermont and host Northern Arizona.
She averaged 21 points in the two victories as she shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field and 84.2 percent (16-of-19) from the free throw line. She also averaged nine rebounds per game while averaging just 26.2 minutes per game.
Against Vermont, she was unstoppable as she scored a tournament-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 29 minutes. She hit seven-of-14 shots from the field and was 12-of-15 from the charity stripe. She followed that performance up with a 16-point effort against NAU in just 24 minutes of action. She was five-of-10 from the field against the Lumberjacks and hit all four of her free throws.
She has now been named tournament MVP for four straight midseason tournaments dating back to her sophomore season.
Midseason Tournaments . . .
The Cardinals have taken part in a midseason multi-day tournament for 12 straight seasons and 23 times in the last 24 seasons. The Cardinals have posted success in midseason tournaments as they have claimed five straight tournament titles, including the La Quinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Tournament championship earlier this season.
In fact, the Cardinals have won at least one multi-day midseason tournament for the past six seasons.
Tournament Championships
2007-08
La Quinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving
2006-07
BSU Credit Union Thanksgiving
SPC Holiday Classic
2005-06
BSU Credit Union Thanksgiving
2004-05
Seton Hall Tournament
2003-04
East Carolina Invitational
2002-03
Lehigh Invitational
1999-2000
Minnesota Regal Classic
Coll. Of Charleston Classic
1997-98
Beach Blast Tourney
1990-91
Cardinal Roundball Fest
All-Tournament Honors . . .
Senior forward Julie DeMuth and junior guard Porchia Green were named to the La Quinta Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Tournament All-Tournament Team. DeMuth picked up Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as she averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per contest.
Green picked up her second career All-Tournament honor as she scored 14 points per game in the tournament. She scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists in the tournament championship game against host Northern Arizona.
Night Of Firsts . . .
The Cardinals' victory at Wright State was a night of firsts for the Cardinals as redshirt freshman Kyleigh Jones along with true freshmen Emily Maggert and Shannon Klei each recorded their first career collegiate points. Jones scored late in the first half to give the Cardinals their first lead, Maggert scored early in the game on her way to 10 points and Klei hit a couple of big three-pointers in the second half.
The game marks the first time since the 2004-05 season opener against Wagner that three Cardinals have scored their first collegiate points in the same game. In that game, Julie DeMuth, Lisa Rusche and former Cardinal Brandy Ross scored their first points of their careers.
Tough Schedule . . .
The Cardinals boosted their strength of schedule this season as four opponents advanced to the postseason last year, and 11 of a possible 15 non-conference opponents had winning records in 2006-07. The non-conference opponents averaged 18 victories last season with Louisville and Temple leading the way with 27 and 25 wins respectively.
Below is a list of non-conference opponents and their 2006-07 records:
Louisville 27-8
Wright State 10-18
Indiana 19-14
Vermont 19-12
Northern Arizona 20-12
Fairliegh Dickinson 11-18
Temple 25-8
Valparaiso 20-11
Illinois State 22-11
Indiana State 19-11
Evansville 19-12
Liberty 19-12
UNLV 14-15
Austin Peay 10-20
Butler 16-15
Early Signing Period . . .
The Cardinals picked up four high school standouts on as Jade Barber, Amber Clark, Suzanne Grossnickle and Patrice King signed national letters of intent on the first day of the early signing period.
Barber, a 6-2 forward from Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky., averaged 12 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per contest as a junior. Her 10.3 rebounds per game were 18th best in the state last season. She was rated the fifth best prospect in the state by the Rick Bolus Report.
Clark, a 6-3 center from Huntington North High School in Huntington, Ind., averaged 18 points per game as a junior as she connected on 55 percent of her shots from the field. She finished eighth in the state in rebounds as she averaged 11.7 boards per game.
Grossnickle, a 6-2 forward from Belleville, Ill., spent the last three seasons at Marian Catholic before transferring to Belleville East for her senior season. She guided Marian Catholic to a 29-4 record as a junior as she averaged 12.4 points per game and eight rebounds per contest. She helped her team to a third place finish in the Class AA State Tournament last season as she connected on 70.1 percent (148-of-211) from the field. She led her team in scoring 20 out of 33 games last season.
King, a 5-6 point guard from St. Louis, Mo., also spent the past three seasons at Marian Catholic in Chicago before transferring to St. Joseph's Academy for her senior season. She was the floor general of the Marian Catholic team that won 52 games over the past two seasons. She averaged 6.8 points per game as she connected on 98-of-159 (61.6 percent) of her shots from the field.
Leading The Way . . .
Head coach Tracy Roller enters her seventh season at the helm of the Cardinals. She is the all-time winningest women's basketball coach in Ball State history and the third winningest coach, men's or women's, in BSU history. Roller has amassed a 118-72 overall record during her time, including the program's three 20-plus win seasons.
New Faces In The Crowd . . .
Head coach Tracy Roller welcomes in three new faces to her coaching staff this season with the additions of Marsha Frese, Charlie Hall and Kelsey Corbin. Frese returns to Ball State for her second stint as an assistant coach after spending the last four seasons at the University of Illinois.
Hall comes to the Cardinals after being the varsity head girls' coach at Kokomo High School (1997-2004, 2005-06). Corbin joins the staff as the Director of Basketball Operations after completing her stellar playing career last season.
Captain's Choice . . .
Head coach Tracy Roller announced her team's tri-captains for the 2007-08 season in senior Julie DeMuth and juniors Porchia Green and Kiley Jarrett. Last season, seniors Kelsey Corbin and Becca Bajorek were named team captains.
Cardinals MAC Favorites . . .
For the first time in program history, the Cardinals have been picked as the 2007-08 preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference West Division and the MAC Tournament title. The preseason poll is voted on by league coaches and institutional voters.
The Cardinals were picked to repeat as West Division champions with 240 total votes, including 36 out of 41 potential first place votes. Ball State held a 56-point lead over second-place Northern Illinois (184) which recorded two first place votes. Eastern Michigan (150) was tabbed third while Western Michigan (122) was fourth and received three first place votes. Rounding out the division, Toledo (106) was picked fifth and Central Michigan (59) was tabbed for sixth.
Ball State returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season's 24-7 team that advanced to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The 24 victories last season were tied for the single-season record for wins in Ball State program history.
Radio Air Time . . .
The Cardinals will again have most of their games broadcast on the student station WCRD 91.3, including all home games and selected road 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.
WCRD will also broadcast the Tracy Roller Show again this season on Monday nights from 7-8 p.m.
Ball State will also have 15 regular season games broadcast on Muncie's WXFN 1340 AM this season as well as being streamed online at ballstatesports.com. Jay Garrison will handle the play-by-play duties this season. The 15 games broadcast on WXFN are:
Nov. 10 vs. Louisville
Nov. 17 vs. Indiana
Dec. 1 at Valparaiso
Dec. 4 vs. Illinois State
Dec. 6 at Indiana State
Dec. 29 vs. Butler
Jan. 15 vs. Eastern Michigan
Jan. 23 vs. Central Michigan
Jan. 26 vs. Bowling Green
Feb. 3 vs. Buffalo
Feb. 9 vs. Akron
Feb. 13 at Miami
Feb. 19 vs. Toledo
Mar. 1 vs. W. Michigan
Mar. 5 vs. Northern Illinois
MAC TOURNAMENT
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State will then have 11 days off to concentrate on finals before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Lady Rebel Christmas Classic Dec. 20-21. The Cardinals will meet Liberty in the first game of the tournament and then face either Austin Peay or host UNLV.
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