Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Kent State Today
February 11, 2007 | Women's Basketball
What's On Tap . .
The Cardinals return home to Worthen Arena for the first time in the month of February as they host Mid-American Conference East Division foe Kent State.
The Cardinals enter the game with a 17-4 record overall and an 8-2 mark in MAC action. The Cardinals hold a two-game lead in the West Division over Eastern Michigan and a three-game lead over Northern Illinois.
Kent State comes into today's game with a 12-9 record overall and an 8-2 mark in MAC play. The Golden Flashes are riding a four-game winning streak heading into today's game. Kent State sits alone in second place in the MAC-East Division as it trails 17th ranked Bowling Green for the top spot in the division.
Series History . . .
Today's game is the 45th meeting between Ball State and Kent State dating back to the first meeting in the 1979-80 season. The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 10-34 mark, including two losses last season to the Golden Flashes. BSU dropped a 12-point loss at Kent State during the regular season and saw its season come to an end with a 17-point loss in the 2006 MAC Tournament.
Senior guard Tina Bolte turned in two double figure scoring efforts against Kent State last season. She scored 15 points in the regular season and added a team-high 19 points in the tournament. She connected on 10-of-20 from three-point land in the two games against KSU. Junior Julie DeMuth posted a double-double at Kent State as she scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds.
The Cardinals are 7-11 against Kent State here in Muncie, including victories in the last two meetings at Worthen Arena (2004-05 & 2002-03).
Academic Honors . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Second Team for women's basketball by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Corbin, a three-time team captain, owns a 3.66 GPA in psychology and has guided the Cardinals to a 17-4 overall record this season. This is her first Academic All-District honor of her career after picking up Academic All-Mid-American Conference honors last season and MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors earlier this season.
Stepping Up Big . . .
The Cardinals' success this season can be attributed to players up and down the lineup stepping up big this season. The Cardinals have three players who have already surpassed their single season best for scoring and one player who is within 16 points of surpassing a season total.
Sophomore guard Porchia Green leads the way as she has scored 236 points this season. Her previous high for a season was just 83 points as a freshman. Junior Lisa Rusche has tallied 213 points this season, surpassing her previous high of 86 points as a sophomore.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has also come up with a new career-high as she has scored 251 points this year to pass her total of 241 points as a junior. Junior Julie DeMuth is just 16 points shy of a single season record as she has 304 points this year and finished last season with 320 points.
Receiving Votes . . .
For the third straight week, the Cardinals have received votes in both the Associated Press. Ball State picked up one vote in this week's AP Poll after notching four votes last week.
The Cardinals fell out of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week after receiving three votes apiece in the past two weeks.
This is the first season that BSU is receiving votes 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 17th and 18th in this week's poll.
17 and Counting . . .
The Cardinals' 17 victories so far this season already matches their win total from last season (17-12). The 17 wins is also tied for fourth most in a single season with last season, 1989-90 and 1974-75.
The Cardinals' program record for victories is 24 wins in the 2001-02 season. Ball State's next victory will move them into sole possession of fourth all-time with 18 wins.
24 wins
(2001-02)
21 wins
(2002-03)
19 wins
(2000-01)
17 wins
(2006-07, 2005-06, 1989-90,
1974-75)
16 wins
(1999-2000, 2004-05)
In Good Company . . .
The Cardinals enter today's game as one of six teams in the nation to be in the top 17 in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
The Cardinals are 17th in the nation in field goal percentage at 45.9 percent while they are 15th in the nation from long range at 37.9 percent. BSU is joined in this elite company by Maryland (23-3), Vanderbilt (20-4), Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-3), Purdue (21-4) and Bowling Green (22-2). The combined record of the teams is 121-20 on the season, good for a .858 winning percentage.
Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals' 17-4 record is tied for the best start after 21 games in program history. The Cardinals opened 17-4 in both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. BSU finished the 2000-01 season with a 19-9 record while the 2001-02 team posted a 24-8 overall mark.
BSU is also 8-2 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 8--2 mark is the second best start in program history just shy of a 9-1 mark in the 2000-01 season.
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 14.4 followed by Kelsey Corbin (12.0), Porchia Green (11.2), Audrey McDonald (10.2) and Lisa Rusche (10.1).
In fact, only 17th ranked Bowling Green even has four players averaging double figures. Seven MAC teams have three players averaging double figures in Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .
The Cardinals as a team are in the top 40 in seven statistical categories in the NCAA Division I so far this season. Leading the way for BSU is its three-point shooting which is 15th in the nation at 37.9 percent. The Cardinals are also 17th in field goal percentage (45.9), 25th in assists per game (16.2), 26th in scoring offense (73.7), 28th in three-pointers per game (6.2), 29th in won/loss percentage (.810), and 39th in scoring margin (+10.5).
Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is eight in the nation in three-point percentage at 43.9 percent. Maryland's Kristi Toliver leads the nation at 50.9 percent. McDonald is also 40th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 3.5.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 65th in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 while sophomore Porchia Green is 69th in the nation in steals per game at 2.4.
RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals and their 17-4 record have been making some noise in the RPI rankings this season. Ball State is listed as high as 37 by RealTimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are also listed 48th by CollegeRPI.Com, 50th by RPIRatings. com and 50th by the Sagarin Report.
The Cardinals are listed at 53rd in the latest NCAA RPI listings on February 5th.
BSU also listed as an at-large selection on in the latest bracket projection on CollegeRPI.com and has a projected RPI of 32. ESPN.com's Bracketology also has the Cardinals earning an at-large bid in the latest projection.
Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals saw their upset bid fall short as they dropped an 86-76 game at 17th ranked Bowling Green. The Cardinals went on an 11-2 run in the final two minutes to pull within seven points, but could not come over the hump to fall to 17-4 overall on the season.
Senior Kelsey Corbin and sophomore Porchia Green both turned in career-high performances in the loss for the Cardinals. Corbin led all scorers as she scored a career-high 27 points as she was nine-of-12 from the field and a perfect nine-of-nine from the free throw line. She scored 19 points in the second half as the Cardinals made a valiant rally attempt.
Green turned in an inspired performance as she finished with a career-high 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out four assists and tallied a game-high three steals. She was nine-of-16 from the field and five-of-seven from the line on the night as she sparked the first half with 15 points.
The Cardinals finished the night 26-of-60 (43.3%) from the field for the game after hitting 50 percent of their shots in the second half. The Cardinals also were strong from the free throw line as they finished 22-of-26 (84.6%). BSU struggled from long-range as it was a season-low two-of-15 (13.3%) from three-point land in the loss. McDonald finished the night with 10 points, while junior forward Julie DeMuth added eight points.
BGSU finished the night 27-of-51 (52.9%) from the field in the victory and was 25-of-61 (80.6%) from the charity stripe. The win was the 14th straight for Bowling Green and the 28th straight at home for the Falcons, who have also won a MAC-record 35 straight conference games.
Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter today's game with a 17-4 record as they have won 11 out of their last 13 games. Ball State also has a 8-2 mark in MAC play and sit alone in first place in the MAC-West Division with a two game lead over Eastern Michigan and a three-game lead over Northern Illinois.
The Cardinals are averaging 73.7 points per game this season and are holding opponents to just 63.2 points per game. BSU is also shooting 45.9 percent from the field and has connected on 37.9 percent from three-point land.
The Cardinals have all five starters averaging double figures this season. Junior Julie DeMuth leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points and rebounding at 8.1 boards per game. Senior Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game and leads the team in assists at 94.
Sophomore Porchia Green is third on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.7. Freshman Audrey McDonald is fourth in scoring at 10.2 points per game and has connected on 43.9 percent from three-point land.
Junior Lisa Rusche rounds out the double figure scorers as she averages 10.1 points per game.
Scouting the Golden Flashes . . .
Kent State comes into today's game with a 12-9 record overall and an 8-2 mark in MAC action. The Golden Flashes have won four straight games. KSU is averaging 73.2 points per game while allowing 68.4 points per game. The Golden Flashes are shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from three-point land this season.
Arkansas transfer Kristin Peoples leads the team in scoring as she averages 16.5 points per game. She has gone to the free throw line a team-high 141 times this season and has connected on 108 (76.6%). La'Kia Stewart is second on the team in scoring at 14 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game.
Buckling Down . . .
The Cardinals turned in a strong defensive performance last weekend as they held Buffalo to just 44 points in the victory. The 44-point effort by the Bulls is the lowest output by a BSU opponent since Northern Illinois scored 41 in the 2004-05 season.
The Cardinals also held Buffalo to just 14 first half points which was a season-low. The last time an opponent was held to 14 or fewer points in the opening half was back in December of 2002 when the Cardinals held Wright State to 14 points.
Raining Threes . . .
Freshman guard Audrey McDonald has already connected on 50 three-pointers this season. Her 50 three-pointers are 10th most in a single season in BSU history. She just past Markita Griffin and Kelli Hipsher for 10th all-time.
Johna Goff holds the single season record of 78 three-pointers made in the 2002-03 season.
t-7th - Tina Bolte (52)
t-7th - Kate Endress (02)
9th - Johna Goff (51)
10th - Audrey McDonald (50)
t-11th - Markita Griffin (49)
t-11th - Kelli Hipsher (49)
Block Party . . .
Junior forward Lisa Rusche is second in the MAC with 32 blocks this season. Her 32 rejections are already fifth most in a single season in BSU history. She just moved into sole possession of fifth place as she past Tamara Bowie and Julie Lozier.
Bowie holds the single season record of 57 blocked shots in the 2002-03 season.
1st - Tamara Bowie (57)
2nd - Bowie (39)
3rd - Shelley Silk (38)
4th - Char Thomsen (36)
5th - Lisa Rusche (32)
t-6th - Bowie (31)
t-6th - Julie Lozier (31)
Dishing Out the Helpers . . .
The Cardinals lead the MAC in assists per game this season at 16.2. BSU has stepped up its passing in conference action as it is averaging 16.8 helpers per game.
Senior Kelsey Corbin is seventh in the MAC in assists at 4.48 per game and third in assists/turnover ratio at 1.77. Sophomore Porchia Green is 11th in the conference in assists at 3.76 per game and fourth in ratio at 1.72.
Heading to the Line . . .
Junior forward Julie DeMuth has been to the free throw line a team-high 142 times this season. and has hit on 108 (76.1%). Her 138 attempts and her 104 makes this season are both already career-highs.
She is already sixth all-time in BSU single season records for free throws attempted and is seventh in free throws made.
Winning Streaks . . .
The Cardinals had their 10-game winning streak snapped last weekend with their loss against Ohio. The 10-game winning streak is the second longest in program history and is the second winning streak this season for the Cardinal's of five games or more.
11 games
(2000-01)
10 games
(2006-07)
Eight Games
(2001-02 & 1974-75)
Six Games
(2002-03, 1985-86)
Protect This House . . .
The Cardinals also had their program-record 11-game home winning streak snapped last weekend. The 11-game streak is the longest ever in BSU history, surpassing the old record of 10-straight victories.
11 straight home victories
(2005-06 - 2006-07)
10 straight home victories
(2000-01 - 2001-02)
Nine straight home victories
(1999-00 - 2000-01)
Cleaning the Glass . . .
The Cardinals enter today's game with a 11-1 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 35.6 boards per game. The Cardinals have controlled the boards on the other end as they are third in the MAC in rebounding defense as they allow just 33.9 boards per game. BSU is fifth in the conference in rebounding margin at +1.6 boards per game.
Did You Know? . . .
The Cardinals are 12-2 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 14-1 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.
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 108-63 record into today's contest.
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 twice this season as they had their Northern Illinois and Ohio games broadcasted.
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 five starters in the top 34 in scoring in the MAC with Julie DeMuth (10th), Kelsey Corbin (21st), Porchia Green (24th), Audrey McDonald (33rd) and Lisa Rusche (34th). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 16 in rebounding with DeMuth (7th), Green (13th) and Rusche (16th).
McDonald is first in the MAC in three-point shooting at 43.9 percent while Green would be second at 438. percent if she had enough attempts to qualify. Senior Tina Bolte would be fourth at 38.3 percent.
Corbin is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage at 52.9. She leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 2.10. Green is eighth in field goal percentage at 47.7 and Rusche is eighth at 47.6 percent.
Career Nights . . .
So far this season, Ball State has posted some strong individual performances. The Cardinals have had six different players turn in a career-high scoring performance so far this season. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin and sophomore guard Porchia Green turned in career-high performances on Wednesday at 17th ranked Bowling Green. Corbin scored 27 points while Green added 24 points for the Cardinals.
Freshman Audrey McDonald recorded a career-high 23 points against Northern Illinois.
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 seventh 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 moved into sole possession of ninth place all-time with with her six rebounds against Buffalo. She currently has 624 career rebounds and has just moved past Shelley Silk. She needs just two rebounds to climb another spot as she would tie Char Thomsen for eighth place.
5th - Stephanie McQuinn (678)
6th - Kate Endress (663)
7th - Jamie Lehotsky (642)
8th - Char Thomsen (630)
9th - Julie DeMuth (628)
10th - Shelley Silk (618)
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.
Bolte is second on the team this season with 30 three-pointers. She moved into sole possession of third place all-time earlier this season against Northern Illinois. She enters today's game with 162 career three-pointers.
1st - Johna Goff (253)
2nd - Kate Endress (205)
3rd- Tina Bolte (162)
4th - Markita Griffin (152)
5th - Alana Hancock (139)
Lending a Helping Hand . . .
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 90. She became just the seventh player all-time to reach 300 career assists earlier this season. She enters tonight's game fourth all-time in career assists at 380.
She past Stephanie McQuinne for the fourth place all-time in career assists against Akron.
1st - Shala Crook (628)
2nd - Jenny Eckert (471)
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Kelsey Corbin (380)
5th - Stephanie McQuinne (364)
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 seven 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, Eastern Michigan and Ohio. Her double-double against Ohio was the
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 - 20
Kate Endress - 14
History in the Making . . .
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.
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 15 regular season games broadcast on Muncie's WXFN 1340 AM Jay Garrison will handle the play-by-play duties this season. WXFN will also broadcast from the MAC Tournament.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals will return to MAC-West Division action on Wednesday as they travel to Toledo.
