Ball State University
Central Michigan
Women?s Basketball Rolls Over Central Michigan, 84-59
February 22, 2007 | Women's Basketball
“Tonight was a defining moment in our season,” head coach Tracy Roller said. “We responded to the challenge that this game presented and returned to playing
The Cardinals offensive fire power was evident all game long as they finished the night 29-of-54 (53.7%) shooting from the field, including eight-of-16 (50%) from three-point land. The Cardinals had four players score in double figures in the win and dished out 23 assists in the balanced attack.
Junior forward Lisa Rusche (
“Lisa was just great tonight,” Roller said. “When she plays with confidence she is very hard to stop. Our team did a great job of finding her open by getting into the lane or hitting long-range shots to open up the middle.”
Senior guard Tina Bolte (
Central Michigan (11-16, 3-11 MAC) came out of the gate and jumped to an early 11-2 lead five minutes into the game as the Cardinals opened just one-for-seven from the field. BSU responded to the adversity with a 16-2 run as they took an 18-13 lead and never looked back. Rusche nailed back-to-back baskets to start the run and Bolte book-ended the spurt with consecutive three-pointers.
The Cardinals broke the game opened in the final six-plus minutes of the half as they closed on a 17-5 run to go into the locker room with a 38-26 lead. Junior forward Julie DeMuth (
The Cardinals went into the locker room shooting 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field in the opening frame. Rusche led all scorers with 13 first half points while Bolte chipped in 12 points as she was four-of-six from long range. The Chippewas were held to just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) shooting from the field in the first half and committed 10 turnovers in the opening frame.
The Cardinals slammed the door shut on the Chippewas in the middle of the second half as they turned in a 19-6 run to take a 23-point lead with five minutes remaining. McDonald keyed the spurt as she scored six points in the run while DeMuth added five points in the five-minute span. Sophomore guard Kiley Jarrett (
The Cardinals closed the final two minutes on an 8-2 run to take their largest lead of the night. Rusche capped off her stellar night with consecutive baskets to put the exclamation point on the victory.
McDonald finished the night with 14 points as she was four-of-eight from the field and connected on three three-pointers. DeMuth rounded out the double figure scorers from the Cardinals as she scored 14 points on six-of-eight shooting from the field.
Senior guard Kelsey Corbin (
The Cardinals' defense held the Chippewas to 23-of-56 (41.1%) shooting from the field and just 26.7 percent (four-of-15) from three-point land. The Chippewas were also forced into 18 turnovers in the loss. Forward Ann Skufca led the way for CMU as she scored 19 points.
The win raises the Cardinals total to 20 wins for just the third time in program history and the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Cardinals' 11 MAC victories are also tied for third most in a single season.
The victory leaves the Cardinals with at least a share of the MAC West Division title as they own a two-game lead over
Game time is at 1 p.m. at Worthen Arena and is “Fan Appreciation Day” and Senior Night. Admission is free as the Cardinals look to set an attendance record at Worthen Arena and the game will recognize the Cardinals' trio of seniors in Becca Bajorek, Tina Bolte and Kelsey Corbin.
####
