Women's Basketball Hosts Eastern Michigan At 1 P.M.

February 24, 2007 | Women's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

What's On Tap . .

The Cardinals wrap up the home portion of the 2006-07 regular season today as they host preseason Mid-American Conference favorite Eastern Michigan on “Fan Appreciation Day.” The game is also senior day as Becca Bajorek, Tina Bolte and Kelsey Corbin will be honored during a post game ceremony.

The Cardinals, who have already clinched at least a share of the MAC West Division, enter today's game with a 20-5 record overall and an 11-3 mark in the MAC. BSU holds a two-game lead in the West Division over Eastern Michigan with just two games remaining in the season.

Eastern Michigan enters today's game with a 14-11 overall record and a 9-5 mark in MAC play. The Eagles have won two straight games heading into today's contest and hold a one-game lead over Northern Illinois for the remaining first round bye in the upcoming MAC Tournament.

Series History . . .

Today's game is the 54th meeting all-time between Ball State and Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals trail the series, 22-31 all-time but picked up a 55-46 victory earlier this season in Ypsilanti. The victory in January snapped the Cardinals' seven-game losing streak to the Eagles and vaulted BSU into sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division.

The Cardinals held Eastern Michigan to just 34 percent (16-of-47) from the field in the game and forced it into 20 turnovers. BSU took advantage of the EMU miscues to score 23 points off of turnovers and held the Eagles to 20 points under their scoring average.

The Cardinals overcame a halftime deficit in the victory as they out-scored EMUU, 36-21 in the second half. Ball State shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the second half and hit eight-of-12 (66.7%) from the free throw line to secure the victory.

Ball State had four players score in double figures in the victory, including junior Julie DeMuth who finished the night with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Senior Kelsey Corbin added 12 points as she was six-of-11 shooting from the field. She also dished out a game-high six assists and notched two steals. Sophomore Porchia Green and freshman Audrey McDonald each chipped in 10 points in the all-around effort.

Heading to the Line . . .

Junior forward Julie DeMuth set a new single season BSU record for free throws made last weekend as she has now connected on 131-of-174 (.753). Her 131 free throws made surpass the previous record of 125 set by Markita Griffin in 1998-99. She is also just 10 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 292 career free throws. She currently sits in eighth place all-time in career free throws made and is within 89 free throws of the career record of 379 by former great Tamara Bowie.

Handing It Out . . .

The Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference this season with 16.4 assists per game. The Cardinals have six players who have handed out 25 or more assists this season and are the only team so far in the MAC to have two players with over 100 assists on the year. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team with 113 assists while sophomore Porchia Green has 100 helpers. This marks the first time since the 2001-02 season that two Cardinals have reached 100 assists in the same season (Shala Crook 187 & Johna Goff 110).

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 111 games in her career with 93 starts. She became just the 11th player all-time to play over 3,000 minutes in her career on Wednesday night as she has now logged 3,028 career minutes.

She has scored 938 points in her career, dished out 399 assists, grabbed 388 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 has a shot to 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 311 games in their careers, including 171 starts.

Corbin and Bolte have both played in 111 games in their career apiece. The 111 games played is tied for seventh most in a Cardinal career and is just nine games shy of the career record of 120 games by Kate Endress and Jessica Reiter.

Corbin's 93 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 268 points this season. Her previous high for a season was just 83 points as a freshman. Junior Lisa Rusche has tallied 273 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 292 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 377 points, surpassing her total of 320 points from last season.

Combined, the four players have scored 480 more points so far this season than their best single season total in prior years (1,210-730).

20 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals reached the 20-victory mark for just the third time ever in the 33-year history of the program on Wednesday night. The 20 victories so far this season has already surpassed last season's win total of 17 (17-12).

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 21 wins and will tie the 2002-03 season for the second most wins in a single season.

24 wins

(2001-02)

21 wins

(2002-03)

20 wins

(2006-07)

19 wins

(2000-01)

17 wins

(2005-06, 1989-90,

1974-75)

16 wins

(1999-2000, 2004-05)

11 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals' 11 victories in MAC play are tied for third 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 have two games remaining and are within reach of tying the school record for MAC wins in a season.

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 today's game as one of five teams in the nation to be in the top 16 in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.

The Cardinals are 16th in the nation in field goal percentage at 45.9 percent while they are seventh in the nation from long range at 38.4 percent. BSU is joined in this elite company by Maryland (22-2), Vanderbilt (24-4), Wisconsin-Green Bay (22-3), and Bowling Green (25-2). The combined record of the all five teams is 116-18 on the season, good for a .866 winning percentage.

Keep On Rolling . . .

The Cardinals' 20-5 record is the best start after 25 games in program history. The Cardinals' previous best start was in the 2001-02 season when they opened 19-6. BSU finished the 2001-02 team posted a 24-8 overall mark.

BSU is also 11-3 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 11-3 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 (11.7), Lisa Rusche (10.9), and Porchia Green (10.7).

Freshman Audrey McDonald is just under 10 points per game at 9.3. 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 come into today's home finale with a 20-5 record overall and an 11-3 mark in Mid-American Conference play.

BSU has already earned a first round bye in the upcoming MAC Tournament and has clinched at least a share of the MAC West Division title. The Cardinals hold a two-game lead over Eastern Michigan for the top spot in the West Division with two games remaining.

Ball State is averaging 73.6 points per game this season while allowing opponents to score 63.5 points per game. The Cardinals have connected on 45.9 percent from the field on the season and 38.4 percent from three-point land on the year.

The Cardinals have four players averaging double figures this season and nine players averaging at least four points per game. Junior forward Julie DeMuth leads the way in scoring as she averages 15.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 8.7 boards per game.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring as she averages 11.7 points per game and leads the team with 113 assists. Junior forward Lisa Rusche is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and second in rebounding at 6.9 boards per game.

Sophomore Porchia Green rounds out the double figures scorers as she chips in 10.7 points per game. She is also third in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game and is second in assists at 100. Freshman Audrey McDonald adds 9.3 points per game this season.

Scouting the Eagles . . .

Eastern Michigan comes into today's game with a 14-11 record overall and a 9-5 mark in MAC play. The Eagles are averaging 68.6 points per game this season on offense, while holding opponents to just 64.1 points per game. EMU has connected on 41.5 percent from the field this season and 34 percent from long range.

Forward Sarah VanMetre leads the attack as she averages 16.7 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per contest. Guard Patrice McKinney is second on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and rebounding at 8.0 boards per contest. Freshman Alyssa Pittman rounds out the double figure scorers as she chips in 12.2 points per game.

Last Time Out . . .

The Cardinals clinched at least a share of the MAC West Division and secured a first round bye in the upcoming MAC Tournament with an 84-59 victory over Central Michigan on Wednesday.

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 led the way as she turned in a dominating performance with her fifth double-double of the season. She scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record in her third double-double in the past four games. She finished the night 11-of-15 from the field and four-of-five from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Tina Bolte led the way from long-range as she finished with a season-high 15 points. Bolte connected on a season-high five three-pointers off of the bench, including four in the first half. She hit her first three long-range attempts to spark the Cardinal attack.

Freshman Audrey McDonald finished the night with 14 points as she was four-of-eight from the field and connected on three three-pointers. Julie 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 led the Cardinals' unselfish effort as she dished out a season-high 11 assists to go along with her seven points. Kiley Jarrett also was in a giving mood as she handed out four helpers while classmate Porchia Green dished out five assists.

Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .

The Cardinals as a team are in the top 42 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 seventh in the nation at 38.4 percent. The Cardinals are also 16th in field goal percentage (45.9), 21st in assists per game (16.4), 23rd in scoring offense (73.6), 28th in won/loss percentage (80.0), 31st in three-pointers made per game (6.1) and 42nd in scoring margin (+10.1)

Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is 15th in the nation in three-point percentage at 41.9 percent. Vanderbilt's Caroline Williams leads the nation at 50.3 percent. McDonald is also 70th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.2. Senior guard Tina Bolte would be 12th in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.4 if she had enough attempts.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 69th in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 while sophomore Porchia Green is 76th in the nation in steals per game at 2.4. Junior Julie DeMuth is 66th in the country in rebounding at 8.7 boards per game.

RPI Watching . . .

The Cardinals and their 20-5 record have been making some noise in the RPI rankings this season. Ball State is listed as high as 45th by RealtimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are also listed at 56th by CollegeRPI.com and 60th by 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 8.7 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 three 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 (675)

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 42 three-pointers. She moved into sole possession of third place all-time earlier this season against Northern Illinois. She enters today's game with 174 career three-pointers.

1st - Johna Goff (253)

2nd - Kate Endress (205)

3rd- Tina Bolte (174)

4th - Markita Griffin (152)

5th - Alana Hancock (139)

Lending a Helping Hand . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 113. 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 399. She needs just one assist to become the fourth player all-time to reach 400 career helpers.

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 (399)

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 earlier this month 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 54 three-pointers this season. Her 54 three-pointers are seventh most in a single season in BSU history. She just past the likes of Tina Bolte and Kate Endress for seventh place.

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

4th - Kate Endress (70, 04-05)

5th - Tina Bolte (67, 05-06)

6th - Markita Griggin (59, 98-99)

7th - Audrey McDonald (54, 06-07)

t-8th - Tina Bolte (52, 04-05)

t-8th - Kate Endress (52, 02-03)

Block Party . . .

Junior forward Lisa Rusche is second in the MAC with 38 blocks this season. Her 38 rejections are already tied for third most in a single season in BSU history. She just moved into a tie with Shelley Silk (1981-82) for third most. She needs just one block to tie Tamara Bowie (1999-2000) for second all-time.

Bowie holds the single season record of 57 blocked shots in the 2002-03 season.

1st - Tamara Bowie (57, 02-03)

2nd - Bowie (39, 99-00)

t-3rd- Lisa Rusche (38, 06-07)

t-3rd - Shelley Silk (38, 81-82)

5th - Char Thomsen (36, 97-98)

t-6th - Bowie (31, 01-02)

t-6th - Julie Lozier (31, 88-89)

Cleaning the Glass . . .

The Cardinals enter today'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 35.8 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 third in the conference in rebounding margin at +2.1 boards per game.

Did You Know? . . .

The Cardinals are 14-2 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 18-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark. .

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.

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 111-64 record into today'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 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 (ninth), Kelsey Corbin (222n), Lisa Rusche (30th) and Porchia Green (32nd). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 17 in rebounding with DeMuth (2nd), Rusche (12th) and Green (17th).

Senior Tina Bolte leads the MAC in three-point shooting as she has connected on 42.4 percent. Freshman Audrey McDonald is third in the MAC at 41.9. Green would also be third in the MAC if she had enough attempts to qualify.

Corbin is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 54.2. Rusche is 10th in the conference in field goal percentage at 48.7 while DeMuth is 15th at 44.7 percent.

Green is second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.92, while Corbin is sixth at 1.59. Rusche is 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 2006-07 regular season on the road as they travel to MAC West rival Northern Illinois on Wednesday evening.

The game is the final tune-up before the 2007 Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland March 3-10. The Cardinals own a bye from the first round already.