Women's Basketball Travels To 17th Ranked Bowling Green

Women?s Basketball Announces 2007-08 Schedule

Women's Basketball Travels To 17th Ranked Bowling Green

February 06, 2007 | Women's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

What's On Tap . .
Ball State hits the road and travels to Bowling Green for a showdown between Mid-American Conference Divisional leaders as the Cardinals face off against the 17th/18th ranked Falcons.

The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 17-3 record overall and sit alone in first place in the MAC-West Division with an 8-1 record. The Cardinals have won 11 of their last 12 games, including a 15-point victory at Buffalo on Saturday.

Bowling Green comes into the contest with a 20-2 record overall and sit atop the MAC-East Division with a 9-0 record. The Falcons have won 13 straight games overall and have won 34 straight MAC games dating back to the 2004-05 season.

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.

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

The Cardinals are 15th in the nation in field goal percentage at 46.1 percent while they are sixth in the nation from long range at 39 percent. BSU is joined in this elite company by Maryland (22-3), Vanderbilt (20-4), Wisconsin-Green Bay (18-3), Purdue (20-4) and Bowling Green (20-2). The combined record of the teams is 117-19 on the season, good for a .860 winning percentage.

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)

Fast Starts . . .
The Cardinals' 17-3 record is the best start after 20 games in program history. The Cardinals opened previous best mark after 20 games was at 16-4 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 8-1 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 8-1 mark is tied with the 2000-01 season for the best start in conference play.

Series History . . .
Tonight's game is the 49th meeting all-time between Ball State and Bowling Green. The Cardinals trail the series 12-36 all-time and are just 2-20 on the road in the series. The Cardinals though have won the last two meetings at Bowling Green with a 90-85 victory in the 2003-04 season and the 2002-03 season.

Last season, the Cardinals dropped a 72-60 decision at home to the Falcons. The Cardinals jumped out to a 36-32 advantage at halftime before the Falcons out-scored the Cardinals, 40-24, in the second half. Raechelle Hampton scored 14 points off of the bench as she was seven-of-10 from the field. Tina Bolte chipped in 11 points while Becca Bajorek added eight points and eight rebounds.

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 14.8 followed by Kelsey Corbin (11.2), Porchia Green (10.6), Lisa Rusche (10.5) and Audrey McDonald (10.2).

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 35 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 sixth in the nation at 39 percent. The Cardinals are also 15th in field goal percentage (46.1), 18th in won/loss percentage (85.0), 23rd in assists per game (16.5), 26th in three-pointers per game (6.5), 27th in scoring offense (73.6) and 35th in scoring margin (+11.5).

Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is sixth in the nation in three-point percentage at 46.7 percent (47-of-96). She trails just Kristi Tolliver of Maryland who has connected on 50.5 percent (49-of-105) from long range. She is also 35th in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.5.

McDonald's 46.7 percent would be a school record and would also be sixth highest all-time by a freshman in NCAA Division I history.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 64th in the nation in assists per game at 4.5 while sophomore Porchia Green is 74th in the nation in steals per game at 2.5.

RPI Watching . . .
The Cardinals and their 17-3 record have been making some noise in the RPI rankings this season. Ball State is listed as high as 42 by RealTimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are also listed 48th by CollegeRPI.Com, 53rd by RPIRatings.com and 55th 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 34. ESPN.com's Bracketology also has the Cardinals earning an at-large bid in the latest projection.

Last Time Out . . .
The Cardinals got back on the winning track last Saturday evening as they downed Buffalo, 59-44, on the road. The Cardinals' defense held Buffalo to just 16 field goals and 34 percent shooting from the field in the victory.

The Cardinals had four players score in double figures in the victory including a game-high 14 points from senior Kelsey Corbin. Corbin was five-of-seven from the field and a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line in the victory.

Sophomore guard Porchia Green recorded her fourth double-double of the season as she scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. She finished the night six-of-eight from the charity stripe, all in the second half.

Both teams came out cold to start the game as the Cardinals connected on just nine-of-29 (31%) from the floor in the first half while Buffalo was just six-of-23 (26.1%) from the field.

The Cardinals heated up in the second half and slammed the door shut for the final time as they closed the game on an 11-2 run in the final 3:49 of the game. BSU was clutch from the charity stripe as it connected on nine-of-10 in the final three-plus minutes to seal the victory. The Cardinals finished the game 14-of-17 (82.4%) from the free throw line in the game, all coming in the second half.

Lisa Rusche also finished just shy of a double-double as she scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She connected on five-of-10 from the field in the victory, including three-of-four in the second half. Julie DeMuth added 12 points as she was four-of-seven from the field and four-of-five from the charity stripe. She also added six rebounds and three steals for the Cardinals.

Scouting the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game with a 17-3 record as they have won 11 out of their last 12 games. Ball State also has a 8-1 mark in MAC play and sit alone in first place in the MAC-West Division with a two game lead over Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.

The Cardinals are averaging 73.6 points per game this season and are holding opponents to just 62.1 points per game. BSU is also shooting t 46.1 percent from the field and has connected on a league-best 39 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 14.8 points and rebounding at 8.3 boards per game. Senior Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and leads the team in assists at 90.

Sophomore Porchia Green is tied for third in scoring at 10.6 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.6. Junior Lisa Rusche also chips in 10.5 points per game and is third in rebounding at 6.3.

Freshman Audrey McDonald rounds out the double figure scorers as she averages 10.2 points per game.

Scouting the Falcons . . .
Bowling Green enters tonight's game with a 20-2 record overall and a 9-0 mark in MAC play. The Falcons are averaging 73.7 points per game this season and are allowing a league low 54.5 points per game. BGSU is shooting 46.9 percent from the field on the season and 38.3 percent from three-point land.

The Falcons have four players averaging double figures with Ali Mann leading the way at 16.4 points per game. Carin Horne is second on the team in scoring at 11 points while Liz Honneger adds 10.8 points per game. Kate Achter rounds out the double figure scorers at 10.4 points per game.

Buckling Down . . .
The Cardinals turned in a strong defensive performance on Saturday evening 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 49 three-pointers this season. Her 49 three-pointers are tied for 10th most in a single season in BSU history. She is tied with 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)
t-10th - Audrey McDonald
t-10th - Markita Griffin (49)
t-10th - Kelli Hipsher (49)

Block Party . . .
Junior forward Lisa Rusche is second in the MAC with 31 blocks this season. Her 31 rejections are already tied for fifth most in a single season in BSU history with 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)
t-5th - Lisa Rusche (31)
t-5th - Bowie (31)
t-5th - Julie Lozier (31)

Dishing Out the Helpers . . .
The Cardinals lead the MAC in assists per game this season at 16.5. BSU has stepped up its passing in conference action as it is averaging 17.4 helpers per game.

Senior Kelsey Corbin is third in MAC action as she has averaged 6.0 helpers in the nine conference games. Sophomore Porchia Green is 12th in the conference at 3.62 assists per game. Corbin and Green are the top two in assist/turnover ratio in conference action. Corbin leads at 2.82 while Green is second at 2.42.

Heading to the Line . . .
Junior forward Julie DeMuth has been to the free throw line a team-high 138 times this season. and has hit on 104 (75.4%). 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.

Hot Shooting . . .
The Cardinals enter tonight's game shooting 46.1 percent (512-of-1111) from the field this season. That 46.1 percent would be the third highest team total for BSU in program history. The single season record is 47 percent (752-of-1599) in the 1985-86 season. Ball State also posted a 46.4 percent field goal percentage (888-of-1912) in the 2002-03 season.

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 tonight's game with a 11-0 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 35.7 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 334.1 boards per game. BSU is fifth in the conference in rebounding margin at +1.6 boards per game.

Did You Know? . . .
The Cardinals are 12-1 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.

DeMuth leads the Cardinals in scoring and rebounding this season as she averages 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. She is tied for second in the conference in rebounds per game and is eighth in scoring in the MAC. She has now recorded six double-doubles this season and tallied 19 for her career.

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 108-62 record into tonight'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 tonight's game, the Cardinals have four starters in the top 30 in scoring in the MAC with Julie DeMuth (10th), Kelsey Corbin (26th), Porchia Green (28th), and Lisa Rusche (30th). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 17 in rebounding with DeMuth (4th), Green (13th) and Rusche (17th).

McDonald is first in the MAC in three-point shooting at 46.9 percent while Green would be second at 45 percent if she had enough attempts to qualify. Senior Tina Bolte is fourth in the conference at 39.2 percent.

Corbin is sixth in the conference in field goal percentage at 51.3. She leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 2.10. Rusche is eight in the MAC in field goal percentage at 48.4 and second in blocks per game at 1.58.

Career Nights . . .
So far this season, Ball State has posted some strong individual performances. The Cardinals have had five different players turn in a career-high scoring performance so far this season. Freshman Audrey McDonald recorded a career-high 23 points against Northern Illinois. Sophomore guard Porchia Green turned in a career-high 22 points against Charlotte.

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 third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 8.4 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 six 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 (624)
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 376.

She past Stephanie McQuinne for the fourth place all-time in career assists on Tuesday night against Akron.

1st - Shala Crook (628)
2nd - Jenny Eckert (471)
3rd - Johna Goff (447)
4th - Kelsey Corbin (376)
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

Rusche's Romp . . .
Junior forward Lisa Rusche turned in a stellar performance last weekend at the Hoosier Classic against Butler as she scored a career-high 36 points. Rusche's 36 points are the fourth most points scored all-time by a Cardinal in a game and the most since Tamara Bowie notched a program-best 40 points in 2002.

Rusche, whose previous career-high was 13 points, surpassed her old career-high just 12 minutes into the game on her way to 19 first half points. She connected on 15-of-23 from the field in the BSU victory and was six-of-eight from the charity stripe. She also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. She also dished out two assists, registered a block and a steal in just 30 minutes of action.

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 13 regular season games broadcast on Muncie's WXFN 1340 AM Jay Garrison will handle the play-by-play duties this season. The 15 games broadcast on WXFN are:
Nov. 18 - Wright State
Nov. 25 - Howard
Nov. 26 - BSU Credit Union
Dec. 2 at Butler
Dec. 10 vs. Valparaiso *
Dec. 18 at Indiana *
Jan. 3 - Toledo
Jan. 6 - Western Michigan
Jan. 17 - Northern Illinois
Jan. 20 - Miami
Jan. 27 - Ohio
Feb. 11 - Kent State
Feb. 17 at Western Michigan
Feb. 21 - Central Michigan
Feb. 24 - Eastern Michigan
MAC TOURNAMENT
* - WERK 104.9 FM