Women's Basketball Hosts Central Michigan Wednesday

Women?s Basketball Freezes Buffalo, 59-44

Women's Basketball Hosts Central Michigan Wednesday

February 20, 2007 | Women's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

What's On Tap . . .

Tonight's game is the first of two straight home games for the Cardinals, starting with the second meeting of the season against Central Michigan.

The Cardinals enter their final three regular season games with a 19-5 overall record and a 10-3 mark in Mid-American Conference action. The Cardinals hold a two-game lead for the top spot in the West Division over Eastern Michigan and a three-game lead over Northern Illinois for a first round by in the MAC Tournament. The Cardinals need just one victory to secure a first round bye.

The Chippewas come into tonight's game with an 11-15 record overall and a 3-10 mark in MAC play.

Television Exposure . . .

Tonight's game is the Cardinals' fifth televised game of the season and the third game broadcast on Comcast Local. The Cardinals are 2-2 this season in televised games as they defeated Michigan and Northern Illinois while losing to Ohio and Western Michigan.

Series History . . .

Tonight's game is the 54th meeting all-time between Ball State and Central Michigan. The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 24-29 mark but have won 12 of the last 13 meetings against the Chippewas.

Earlier this season, the Cardinals overcame an 11-point first half deficit to rally by Central Michigan, 73-65 in overtime. The Cardinals closed the second half on a 10-4 run to force overtime and outscored the Chippewas 13-5 in the extra period to secure the victory. The BSU defense forced the Chippewas into just one-of-seven shooting (14.3%) from the field and into three turnovers in the extra frame.

The Cardinals had four players in double figures, including junior forward Lisa Rusche. She led the attack as she scored 16 points on six-of-10 shooting from the field and four-of-five shooting from the charity stripe. Rusche also was key on the defensive end as she finished with eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals.

Sophomore Porchia Green posted her third double-double of the season and second straight as she finished with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Green connected on six-of-14 shooting from the field, including three three-pointers in the second half.

Julie DeMuth also turned in a double dip as she finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year.

Senior Kelsey Corbin added 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the victory while freshman Kalynne Proctor finished with eight points in her first action since the second game of the season.

The Chippewas were paced by Ann Skufca as she scored a game-high 24 points in the loss.

Heading to the Line . . .

Junior forward Julie DeMuth set a new single season BSU record for free throws made on Saturday afternoon as she has now connected on 129-of-172 (.750). Her 129 free throws made surpass the previous record of 125 set by Markita Griffin in 1998-99. She is also just 12 attempts shy of Griffin's attempt record of 184. She also holds the single game free throw record as she nailed 15 from the charity stripe against Butler this season.

For her career, she has connected on 290 career free throws. She currently sits in eighth place all-time in career free throws made and is within 91 free throws of the career record of 379 by former BSU great Tamara Bowie.

One Of A Kind . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has been the model of consistency during her four-year career with the Cardinals. Corbin has played in 110 games in her career with 92 starts. The first minute of today's game will be the 3000th minute of her career. She will become just the 11th player all-time to play over 3,000 minutes in her career.

She has scored 931 points in her career, dished out 388 assists, grabbed 386 rebounds and notched 114 steals. She is on pace to become the first Cardinal ever to reach 400 assists and 400 rebounds in her career. She also can become just the fourth Cardinal to reach 1,000 points and 400 assists.

Familiar Faces . . .

The Cardinals' senior class of Kelsey Corbin, Tina Bolte and Becca Bajorek have been staples of the BSU program over the past four seasons. The three seniors have combined to play in 309 games in their careers, including 170 starts.

Corbin and Bolte have both played in 110 games in their career apiece. The 110 games played is tied for seventh most in a Cardinal career and is just 10 games shy of the career record of 120 games by Kate Endress and Jessica Reiter.

Corbin's 92 starts are also tied for seventh most in a career.

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 four players who have already surpassed their single season best for scoring this season.

Sophomore guard Porchia Green leads the way as she has scored 266 points this season. Her previous high for a season was just 83 points as a freshman. Junior Lisa Rusche has tallied 247 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 285 points this year to pass her total of 241 points as a junior. Junior Julie DeMuth rounds out the players with new career high scoring seasons as she has now scored 363 points, surpassing her total of 320 points from last season.

Combined, the four players have scored 431 more points so far this season than their best single season total in prior years (1,161-730).

19 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals' 19 victories so far this season has already surpassed last season's win total of 17 (17-12). The 19 victories are also tied for the third most wins in a single season in program history, matching the total from the 2000-01 team.

The Cardinals' program record for victories is 24 wins in the 2001-02 season. Ball State's next victory will climb the Cardinals' win total to 20 victories for just the third time in the program's 33-year history.

24 wins

(2001-02)

21 wins

(2002-03)

19 wins

(2006-07 & 2000-01)

17 wins

(2005-06, 1989-90,

1974-75)

16 wins

(1999-2000, 2004-05)

10 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals' 10 victories in MAC play are fourth most in a single season. This is the sixth season in which BSU has reached double figures in MAC wins in program history.

The Cardinals won a record 13 MAC games in the 2001-02 season while pulling in 12 wins in the 2002-03 season. BSU won 11 games on three different occasions: 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 18 in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.

The Cardinals are 18th in the nation in field goal percentage at 45.6 percent while they are 11th in the nation from long range at 38.0 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' 19-5 record is the best start after 24 games in program history. The Cardinals' previous best start was in the 2001-02 season when they opened 18-6. BSU finished the 2001-02 team posted a 24-8 overall mark.

BSU is also 10-3 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 10-3 mark is tied for the best start program history in MAC play with the 2001-02 season. That year, the Cardinals finished a program best 13-3 in conference action.

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 15.1 followed by Kelsey Corbin (11.9), Porchia Green (11.1), and Lisa Rusche (10.3).

Freshman Audrey McDonald is just under 10 points per game at 9.1. 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.

Scouting the Cardinals . . .

The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 19-5 record as they have won 13 out of their last 16 games. Ball State also has a 10-3 mark in MAC play and sits 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 73.2 points per game this season and are holding opponents to just 63.7 points per game. BSU is also shooting 45.6 percent from the field and has connected on 38.0 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 15.1 points and rebounding at 8.8 boards per game. Senior Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and leads the team in assists with 102.

Sophomore Porchia Green is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.6. Junior Lisa Rusche rounds out the double figure scorers as she averages 10.3 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.8 caroms per contest.

Freshman Audrey McDonald is fifth on the team in scoring as she chips in 9.1 points per game. She is second on the team and the conference in three-point percentage as she has connected on 41.5 percent of her long range shots.

Scouting the Chippewas . . .

Central Michigan comes into tonight's game with an 11-15 record overall and a 3-10 mark in MAC play. The Chippewas lost eight straight games earlier this conference season but are coming off of a 12-point upset of Northern Illinois.

The Chippewas are averaging 69.4 points per game while allowing opponents to score 70.3 points per game. They are shooting 40.7 percent from the field on the year and just 33.1 percent from three-point land.

Leading the way for the Chippewas is senior forward Ann Skufca. She leads the team in scoring at 12 points per game and is second in rebounding at 5.0 per game. Guard Sharonda Hurd is second in scoring at 11.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 boards per contest.

Last Time Out . . .

The Cardinals are coming off of their first loss to a MAC West Division team as they dropped a 81-68 game at Western Michigan. The Cardinals fell behind early and couldn't overcome a double digit deficit in the second half as they lost just their third conference game of the year.

Four Cardinals scored in double figures in the loss, including two double-doubles from juniors Julie DeMuth and Lisa Rusche .

DeMuth recorded her ninth double-dip of the season as she scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. She connected on seven-of-16 from the field in the loss and grabbed a game-high eight offensive rebounds. Rusche notched her fourth double-double of the season as she scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Cardinals improved their shooting in the second half as they connected on 40.5 percent (17-of-42) from the field to finish the game 27-of-71 (38%). BSU also hit just three three-pointers in the loss as it was just 27.3 percent shooting from long range. The Cardinals finished the game with a 42-36 advantage on the glass as they out-rebounded the Broncos 28-16 in the second half.

Kelsey Corbin finished the game with 16 points as she was eight-of-14 from the field as she played 37 minutes. Porchia Green rounded out the double figure scorers from the Cardinals as she added 14 points, including two-of-three from three-point land.

Cardinal Honors . . .

So far this season, the Cardinals have claimed three Player of the Week accolades. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin has been named two different times this season while junior forward Julie DeMuth added the third honor.

Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .

The Cardinals as a team are in the top 50 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 11th in the nation at 38.0 percent. The Cardinals are also 18th in field goal percentage (45.6), 27th in assists per game (16.1), 27th in won/loss percentage (79.2), 29th in scoring offense (73.2), 35th in three-pointers made per game (6.0) and 47 in scoring margin (+9.5)

Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is 17th in the nation in three-point percentage at 41.5 percent. Vanderbilt's Caroline Williams leads the nation at 50 percent. McDonald is also 77th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.1.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 85th in the nation in assists per game at 4.3 while sophomore Porchia Green is 73rd in the nation in steals per game at 2.4. Junior Julie DeMuth is 57th in the country in rebounding at 8.8 boards per game.

RPI Watching . . .

The Cardinals and their 19-5 record have been making some noise in the RPI rankings this season. Ball State is listed as high as 46th by RealtimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are also listed at 58th by CollegeRPI.com and the Sagarin Report.

The Cardinals are listed at 58th in the latest NCAA RPI listings on February 18th.

BSU also listed as an at-large selection on in the latest ESPN.com Bracketology. It has the Cardinals earning an at-large bid in the latest projection as a number 10 seed (2/19/07).

Owning the Glass . . .

Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is second in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.8 rebounds per game. She is on pace to become just the third Cardinal all-time to lead the team in rebounding in three straight years, joining the likes of Emma Jones and Shelley Silk.

Last season, she led the Cardinals and the MAC in rebounding 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 sixth place all-time in career rebounds as she grabbed 15 boards at Western Michigan to stand at 670 career rebounds. She past former standout Kate Endress for sixth place all-time. She needs just eight rebounds to moved into a tie for fifth place with Stephanie McQuinn.

3rd - Tamara Bowie (933)

4th - Karen Bauer (760)

5th - Stephanie McQuinn (678)

6th - Julie DeMuth (670)

7th - Kate Endress (663)

8th - Jamie Lehotsky (642)

9th - Char Thomsen (630)

10th - Shelley Silk (618)

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 37 three-pointers. She moved into sole possession of third place all-time earlier this season against Northern Illinois. She enters today's game with 169 career three-pointers.

1st - Johna Goff (253)

2nd - Kate Endress (205)

3rd- Tina Bolte (169)

4th - Markita Griffin (152)

5th - Alana Hancock (139)

Lending a Helping Hand . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 101. She became just the seventh player all-time to reach 300 career assists earlier this season. She enters today's game fourth all-time in career assists at 388.

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 (388)

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.

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, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan.

She is second in the MAC this season with nine double-doubles, trailing only Rachel Frederick (Ohio) who has 10 double-doubles on the season.

She moved into sole possession of third place all-time in career double-doubles at Ball State earlier this year 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 - 22

Kate Endress - 14

Big Boards . . .

Junior Julie DeMuth set a new career-high on Wednesday as she grabbed 19 rebounds at Toledo. The 19 rebounds are tied for second most in a single game, trailing two 20-rebound effort from Emma Jones and one from Shelley Silk .

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 earlier this month 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 34 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 (34)

t-6th - Bowie (31)

t-6th - Julie Lozier (31)

Cleaning the Glass . . .

The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 13-3 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 36.0 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 third in the conference in rebounding margin at +2.2 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 17-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark. .

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 108-64 record into tonight's contest.

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 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. 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 (ninth), Kelsey Corbin (21st), Porchia Green (26th), and Lisa Rusche (32nd). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 15 in rebounding with DeMuth (2nd), Rusche (12th) and Green (13th).

McDonald is second in the MAC in three-point shooting at 41.5 percent Senior Tina Bolte is fourth at 40.3 percent while Green would lead the MAC at 43.1 percent if she had enough attempts to qualify.

Corbin is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 54.5. Green is second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.86, while Corbin is sixth at 1.46. Rusche is ninth in the conference in field goal percentage (46.1) and second in blocks at 34.

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 last week 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. Classmate Julie DeMuth has posted a career-high 28 points on two different occasions this season. Once at Illinois State in non-conference play, and once last game at Toledo.

Freshman Kalynne Proctor recorded a new career-high 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 close out the home portion of the 2006-07 regular season on Saturday afternoon as they host preseason MAC West favorite Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. The game is “Fan Appreciation” day and “Senior Night” as the Cardinals recognize their trio of seniors in Becca Bajorek, Tina Bolte and Kelsey Corbin.