Women's Basketball Battles Snow And Toledo Today

February 14, 2007 | Women's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

What's On Tap . .

The Cardinals return to Mid-American Conference West Division action tonight as they travel to regional rival Toledo. The Cardinals enter the game with an 18-4 record overall and sit alone atop the West Division with a 9-2 mark. BSU holds a two-game lead over Eastern Michigan and a three-game lead over Northern Illinois.

Toledo comes into tonight's game with an 8-15 record overall and a 4-7 mark in MAC action. The Rockets have dropped four of their last five after putting together a three-game winning streak back in January.

Series History . . .

Tonight's meeting is the 55th meeting all-time between Ball State and Toledo, including the second meeting this season. The Cardinals trail the all-time series 13-41 against the Rockets but have won the last two meetings in the series.

Earlier this season, the Cardinals took home an 80-59 victory over Toledo at Worthen Arena in their MAC opener. 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.

The Cardinals have only swept the season series from the Rockets on two occasions, in the 2001-01 season and the 1984-85 season.

Corbin Honored . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin was named the MAC West Division Player of the Week on Monday. averaged 19.5 points per game in the Cardinals' two games against the top two teams in the MAC East Division. She connected on 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the field against 17th ranked Bowling Green and Kent State. She was also a perfect nine-for-nine (100%) from the charity stripe in the two games.

Corbin scored a career-high 27 points against BGSU as she was nine-of-12 from the field and nine-of-nine from the line. In the victory over Kent State, she scored 12 points, including nine in the second half as the Cardinals rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit. She connected on six-of-seven from the field against the Golden Flashes.

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 four points of surpassing a season total.

Sophomore guard Porchia Green leads the way as she has scored 244 points this season. Her previous high for a season was just 83 points as a freshman. Junior Lisa Rusche has tallied 227 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 263 points this year to pass her total of 241 points as a junior. Junior Julie DeMuth is just four points shy of a single season record as she has 316 points this year and finished last season with 320 points.

18 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals' 18 victories so far this season has already surpassed last season's win total of 17 (17-12). The 18 victories are also the fourth most wins in a single season in program history.

The Cardinals' program record for victories is 24 wins in the 2001-02 season. Ball State's next victory will move them into a tie for third all-time with 19 wins with the 2000-01 season.

24 wins

(2001-02)

21 wins

(2002-03)

19 wins

(2000-01)

18 wins

(2006-07)

17 wins

(2005-06, 1989-90,

1974-75)

16 wins

(1999-2000, 2004-05)

Nine and Counting . . .

The Cardinals' nine victories in MAC play are tied for fourth most in a single season. The Cardinals also won nine games in the 2005-06, 1989-90 and 1985-86 seasons.

Ball State posted 13 wins in the 2001-02 season; 12 wins in the 2002-03 season; and 11 wins in the 2004-05, 2000-01, and 1996-97 seasons.

In Good Company . . .

The Cardinals enter tonight's game as one of five teams in the nation to be in the top 15 in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.

The Cardinals are 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 46.2 percent while they are 12th in the nation from long range at 38.1 percent. BSU is joined in this elite company by Maryland (22-2), Vanderbilt (21-4), Wisconsin-Green Bay (19-3), and Bowling Green (22-2). The combined record of the teams is 102-15 on the season, good for a .871 winning percentage.

Keep On Rolling . . .

The Cardinals' 18-4 record is tied for the best start after 22 games in program history. The Cardinals opened 18-4 in the 2001-02 seasons. BSU finished the 2001-02 team posted a 24-8 overall mark.

BSU is also 9-2 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 9-2 mark is tied for the best start program history with the 2000-01 season.

Spreading It Around . . .

The Cardinals are one of only two teams in the Mid-American Conference this season that has four of five starters averaging double figures on the season. Julie DeMuth leads the charge at 14.4 followed by Kelsey Corbin (12.0), Porchia Green (11.1), and Lisa Rusche (10.3).

Freshman Audrey McDonald is just under 10 points per game at 9.9. The Cardinals have had five players average double figures for most of the season.

In fact, only 17th ranked Bowling Green even has four players averaging double figures. Six MAC teams have three players averaging double figures in Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan.

Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .

The Cardinals as a team are in the top 45 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 12th in the nation at 38.1 percent. The Cardinals are also 14th in field goal percentage (46.2), 24th in assists per game (16.3), 25th in scoring offense (73.7), 26th in won/loss percentage (81.8), 31st in three-pointers per game (6.2) and 44th in scoring margin (+10.2).

Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is 11th in the nation in three-point percentage at 43.2 percent. Maryland's Kristi Toliver leads the nation at 50.9 percent. McDonald is also 44th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.3.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 71st in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 while sophomore Porchia Green is 73rd in the nation in steals per game at 2.3.

RPI Watching . . .

The Cardinals and their 18-4 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 46th by CollegeRPI.com. 49th by RPIRatings.com and 56th by the Sagarin Report.

The Cardinals are listed at 49th in the latest NCAA RPI listings on February 11th.

BSU also listed as an at-large selection on in the latest bracket projection on CollegeRPI.com and has a projected RPI of 34. ESPN.com's Bracketology also has the Cardinals earning an at-large bid in the latest projection as a number 10 seed (2/12/07).

Last Time Out . . .

The Cardinals rallied from a nine-point half time deficit to take home a hard fought 74-69 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Kent State Worthen Arena in front of 2,075 fans.

The Cardinals out-scored the Golden Flashes 38-24 in the second half as they held KSU to just nine field goals in the frame and just 33.3 percent shooting. In contrast, BSU connected on 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, including three-of-four from long range. The Cardinals also attacked the glass in the second half as they out-rebounded Kent State 20-9 in the half.

Ball State used a balanced scoring attack as seven players scored seven or more points in the victory. Junior forward Lisa Rusche led the way for the Cardinals as she posted her third career double-double in the victory. Rusche scored a team-high 14 points as she was four-of-eight from the floor and six-of-seven from the charity stripe. She grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, including nine in the second half to pace the strong rebounding effort.

Junior forward Julie DeMuth also came up strong for the Cardinals who out-scored KSU, 38-24 in the paint. DeMuth scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and notched three steals in the all-around effort.

Kelsey Corbin finished the game with 12 points as she was six-of-seven from the field. She also dished out three assists, notched three steals and tallied two blocked shots in the victory. Kiley Jarrett finished with nine points as she was a perfect two-of-two from the field and four-of-four from the charity stripe.

Tina Bolte added nine points on three-of-five shooting from three-point land while Kalynne Proctor added seven points. Porchia Green finished with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

Scouting the Cardinals . . .

The Cardinals enter today's game with a 18-4 record as they have won 12 out of their last 14 games. Ball State also has a 9-2 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 63.5 points per game. BSU is also shooting 46.2 percent from the field and has connected on 38.1 percent from three-point land.

The Cardinals have four out of five starters averaging double figures this season. Junior Julie DeMuth leads the team in scoring at 14.4 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 97.

Sophomore Porchia Green is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.6. Junior Lisa Rusche rounds out the double figure scorers as she averages 10.3 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.5 caroms per contest.

Freshman Audrey McDonald is fifth on the team in scoring as she chips in 9.9 points per game. She leads the team and the conference in three-point percentage as she has connected on 43.2 percent of her long range shots.

Scouting the Rockets . . .

Toledo comes into tonight's game with an 8-15 record overall as it has dropped four of its last five games. The Rockets own a 4-7 record in MAC play to sit in fourth place in the West Division.

The Rockets are averaging 63.8 points per game, while allowing opponents to score 67.2 points per game. Toledo has connected on 41 percent of its shots from the field and just 30.3 percent from three-point land.

Leading the charge for the Rockets is forward Savannah Werner as she averages 12.4 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. Guard Danielle Bishop is second on the team in scoring as she chips in 12.3 points per game.

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.

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 51 three-pointers this season. Her 51 three-pointers are tied for ninth most in a single season in BSU history. She just past Markita Griffin and Kelli Hipsher and moved into a tie with Johna Goff for ninth place.

Goff holds the single season record of 78 three-pointers made in the 2002-03 season.

6th - Markita Griggin (59)

t-7th - Tina Bolte (52)

t-7th - Kate Endress (52)

t-9th - Audrey McDonald (51)

t-9th - Johna Goff (51)

t-11th - Markita Griffin (49)

t-11th - Kelli Hipsher (49)

Block Party . . .

Junior forward Lisa Rusche is second in the MAC with 33 blocks this season. Her 33 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 (33)

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 150 times this season. and has hit on 112 (74.7%). Her 150 attempts and her 112 makes this season are both already career-highs.

She is already fifth all-time in career free throws made at 112 and is just 13 away from the top spot held by Markita Griffin (125) in the 1998-99 season. Her 150 attempts are also fourth most all-time in a single season.

Cleaning the Glass . . .

The Cardinals enter today's game with a 12-1 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is 10th 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 are second in the MAC in rebounding defense as they allow just 33.7 boards per game. BSU is fourth in the conference in rebounding margin at +1.8 boards per game.

Did You Know? . . .

The Cardinals are 13-2 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 15-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark. .

Owning the Glass . . .

Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is seventh in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.1 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 just moved into sole possession of eight place with her eight rebounds against Kent State. She now has 636 career caroms and past Char Thomsen for eighth place. She needs six rebounds to move into a tie with Jamie Lehotsky for seventh place.

5th - Stephanie McQuinn (678)

6th - Kate Endress (663)

7th - Jamie Lehotsky (642)

8th - Julie DeMuth (636)

9th - Char Thomsen (630)

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 34 three-pointers. She moved into sole possession of third place all-time earlier this season against Northern Illinois. She enters today's game with 166 career three-pointers.

1st - Johna Goff (253)

2nd - Kate Endress (205)

3rd- Tina Bolte (166)

4th - Markita Griffin (152)

5th - Alana Hancock (139)

Lending a Helping Hand . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 97. 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 383.

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 (383)

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

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

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)

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 tonight's game, the Cardinals have four players in the top 32 in scoring in the MAC with Julie DeMuth (10th), Kelsey Corbin (23rd), Porchia Green (26th), and Lisa Rusche (32nd). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 15 in rebounding with DeMuth (6th), Green (13th) and Rusche (15th).

McDonald is first in the MAC in three-point shooting at 43.2 percent while Green would be second at 43.1 percent if she had enough attempts to qualify. Senior Tina Bolte would be fourth at 39.5 percent.

Corbin is third in the conference in field goal percentage at 54.2 She leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 2.10. Green is seventh in field goal percentage at 48 and Rusche is eighth at 47.7 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.

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 continue their road swing with a Saturday afternoon contest at Western Michigan. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start and will be broadcast on Comcast Local.