Women's Hoops Faces Bowling Green In MAC Finals Today

March 10, 2007 | Women's Basketball

By: Ball State Athletics

What's On Tap . . .

The Cardinals, the number one seed from the West Division, head into their third ever Mid-American Conference Tournament final this afternoon as they take on 18th ranked Bowling Green. This is BSU's first MAC Final appearance since the 2003 tournament. The winner of today's final will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Ball State comes into the final with a 24-5 overall record. The Cardinals have won five straight games heading into today's showdown with the Falcons.

The Cardinals have never won a MAC Tournament and are looking for their first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history.

Bowling Green, the top seed from the East Division, enters today's game with a 28-3 record overall. This is the fourth straight final for the Falcons.

MAC Tournament History . . .

This season's appearance is 17th appearance for the Cardinals in the MAC Tournament. Ball State has advanced to Cleveland the past seven seasons.

The Cardinals are 12-16 all-time in MAC Tournament play. This is their third ever finals appearance in program history. Ball State played in the championship game in 2002 where it lost to Kent State and returned to the title game in 2003 where it fell to Western Michigan.

The Cardinals have faced the Falcons four times in MAC Tournament history and are 0-4 against BGSU. The teams met in the 1997, 1994, 1993, and 1989 tournaments.

MAC Tournament TV . . .

All games of the 2007 Kraft MAC Basketball Tournament will be streamed online through the MAC's broadband video channel.

Also, today's MAC Final will be broadcast on Fox Sports Ohio and Comcast Local. In Muncie, Comcast Local is on channel five.

Last Time Out . . .

The Cardinals advanced to their third ever MAC Tournament Final with an 83-72 victory over Northern Illinois in the semifinals.

Ball State was firing on all cylinders offensively as the Cardinals connected on 28-of-58 (48.4%) from the field for the game. BSU was especially deadly from long range as the Cardinals hit 10-of-18 (55.6%) from three-point land. The Cardinals tied a program record with a perfect 17-of-17 performance from the free throw line in the victory.

The Cardinals picked up their third win of the season over Northern Illinois thanks in large part to a balanced scoring attack as all five starters scored in double figures. Freshman guard Audrey McDonald paced the attack as she scored a team-high 18 points while sophomore guard Porchia Green poured in 16 points.

McDonald provided the spark in the second half as she scored 13 of her 18 points after the halftime break. She connected on four-of-seven from three-point land in the game and was a perfect four-of-four from the free throw line. Green ignited the Cardinals in the first half as she scored 12 of her 16 in the first 20 minutes. She was five-of-11 from the field, including two-of-three from three-point land in the first half.

Lisa Rusche finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds as she was six-of-11 from the field. Julie DeMuth just missed a double-double as she added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. DeMuth was a perfect six-of-six from the charity stripe in the victory.

Kelsey Corbin rounded out the double figure scorers as she added 11 points and dished out a team-high five assists.

Series History . . .

Today's meeting between Ball State and Bowling Green is the 50th meeting all-time between the two teams. The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 12-37 mark, including four straight losses to the Falcons.

The Cardinals dropped an 86-76 victory at Bowling Green earlier this season. Ball State made a late 11-2 run to put the pressure on the Falcons but could not complete the comeback on the road.

Senior Kelsey Corbin and sophomore Porchia Green both turned in career-high performances in the loss for the Cardinals. Corbin led all scorers as she scored a career-high 27 points as she was nine-of-12 from the field and a perfect nine-of-nine from the free throw line. She scored 19 points in the second half as the Cardinals made a valiant rally attempt.

Green turned in an inspired performance as she finished with a career-high 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out four assists and tallied a game-high three steals. She was nine-of-16 from the field and five-of-seven from the line on the night as she sparked the first half with 15 points.

The Cardinals finished the night 26-of-60 (43.3%) from the field for the game after hitting 50 percent of their shots in the second half. The Cardinals also were strong from the free throw line as they finished 22-of-26 (84.6%). BSU struggled from long-range as it was a season-low two-of-15 (13.3%) from three-point land in the loss. Freshman Audrey McDonald finished the night with 10 points, while junior forward Julie DeMuth added eight points.

Grand Company . . .

The Cardinals have two players inching closer to the exclusive 1,000-point club heading into the tournament. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin and junior forward Julie DeMuth are vying to join the elite company.

Corbin enters the tournament final with 989 points scored to sit in 17th place all-time in career scoring. She needs just 11 points to become the 17th player to reach the 1,000-point mark. DeMuth is right behind as she enters with 987 points in just three seasons and needs 13 points to reach the milestone.

MAC West Champions . . .

The Cardinals secured their third ever Mid-American Conference West Division championship when they downed preseason favorite Eastern Michigan, 74-73 in front of a record crowd of 4,711. The Cardinals improved to 21-5 overall on the season and 12-3 in MAC play. The West Division title is BSU's first since the 2002-03 season.

The crowd of 4,711 is the largest crowd to watch a women's basketball game at Ball State in program history, surpassing the old mark of 4,030 set in 2002 against Toledo. The crowd is also the largest crowd to watch a MAC game this season and the third all-time largest crowd to watch a MAC regular season women's game and the largest since 1996. (5,660 ? Western Michigan at Toledo ? 2/2/96).

The Cardinals secured the victory in the closing seconds of the game as junior forward Julie DeMuth nailed a pair of free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining to give BSU the final lead. The Cardinals held off a desperation shot from EMU to finish their home schedule with a 10-1 record.

The Cardinals used a strong team effort in the victory as five Cardinals scored in double figures. DeMuth paced the attack as she scored a game-high 18 points. She was four-of-eight from the field and nine-of-10 from the free throw line. Lisa Rusche turned in another stellar effort with 14 points as she was seven-of-nine from the field.

Senior guard Tina Bolte continued her strong play as of late as she scored 12 points in her first start of the season. Bolte connected on four-of-eight from three-point land, including three in the first half to pace the long-range attack. Sophomore guard Porchia Green was all over the court as she scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded three blocks.

Senior Kelsey Corbin was key to the Cardinals' success as she finished with 12 points and dished out eight assists.

Taking Advantage . . .

The Cardinals were on fire from the free throw line in their semifinal victory over Northern Illinois. BSU connected on 17-of-17 from the free throw line in the win. The 17 makes without a miss is a Ball State and MAC Tournament record for a single game. It is the fifth time in program history that BSU has been perfect from the line in a game, but it never had more than 13 attempts in a perfect game.

Claiming The Trifecta . . .

In the basketball world, beating the same team three times in a season is a hard task to accomplish. The Cardinals were up to the task on Friday afternoon as they notched the trifecta against Northern Illinois. Ball State picked up both regular season victories over the Huskies and tallied its third win in the MAC Tournament semifinals.

This is the first time BSU has defeated the same team three times in a season since the 1988-89 season. That year, the Cardinals defeated Western Michigan three times.

24 and Counting . . .

The Cardinals reached the 24-victory mark for just the second time ever in the 33-year history of the program on Friday afternoon. The 24 victories so far this season has already surpassed last season's win total of 17 (17-12) and is tied for the most in a single season.

The Cardinals' posted 24 wins in the 2001-02 season after picking up a win in the WNIT.

The 22 regular season wins are the most ever for the Cardinals during the season. the 2001-02 team finished its regular season with just 21 wins as it claimed three wins in postseason play.

24 wins

(2006-07 & 2001-02)

21 wins

(2002-03)

19 wins

(2000-01)

17 wins

(2005-06, 1989-90,

1974-75)

16 wins

(1999-2000, 2004-05)

All-MAC Honors . . .

Junior forward Julie DeMuth earned First Team All-MAC honors and senior guard Kelsey Corbin was named Honorable Mention All-MAC. Freshman guard Audrey McDonald was tabbed for the MAC All-Freshman team to round out the Ball State honors.

DeMuth picked up First Team All-MAC honors for the first time in her career after earning Third Team All-MAC honors last season as a sophomore. She led the Cardinals in scoring at 15.4 points per game and in rebounding at 8.7 boards per contest. She has scored in double figures in 24 of 27 games this season as well as posting 10 double-doubles.

DeMuth has scored a career-high 28 points on two different occasions this season and has earned MAC West Division Player of the Week honors twice this season. She was named Most Valuable Player of the BSU Credit Union Thanksgiving Tournament and the SPC Holiday Classic. She is the first Cardinal to post back-to-back All-MAC honors since Johna Goff and is the first First Team selection since Kate Endress accomplished the feat in the 2004-05 season.

Corbin, a three-time team captain, picked up Honorable Mention All-MAC honors. This is the first All-MAC honor for her career as she was second on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game. She leads the team in assists with 125 and is third in the MAC in field goal percentage at 53.8 percent, tops among all guards in the conference.

Corbin became just the fourth player in program history to reach 400 career assists this season. She has scored in double figures on 19 different occasions this season, including a career-high 27 points at 17th ranked Bowling Green. She was named MAC West Division Player of the Week twice this season and earned Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors.

McDonald becomes the first Cardinal to earn All-Freshman accolades since DeMuth accomplished the feat in 2004-05. She is averaging 8.9 points per game this season and is second in the MAC in three-point shooting at 40.6 percent. She is 20th in the nation in three-point shooting as she has connected on a BSU freshman record 54 three-pointers.

McDonald has scored in double figures in 11 games this season, including a career-high 23 points against Northern Illinois. She has tallied three or more three-pointers in a game on 10 different occasions with five three-pointers in four games.

Heading to the Line . . .

Junior forward Julie DeMuth set a new single season BSU record for free throws made earlier this season as she has now connected on 161-of-207 (.778). Her 161 free throws made has easily surpassed the previous record of 125 set by Markita Griffin in 1998-99. She is also just past Griffin's attempt record of 184 with her eight-of-nine performance at Northern Illinois in the season finale. 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 322 career free throws. She currently sits in seventh place all-time in career free throws made and is within 57 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 16.1 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 133 assists while sophomore Porchia Green has 108 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 115 games in her career with 97 starts. She became just the 11th player all-time to play over 3,000 minutes in her career last week as she has now logged 3,172 career minutes.

She has scored 989 points in her career, dished out 419 assists, grabbed 396 rebounds and notched 120 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 323 games in their careers, including 177 starts.

Corbin and Bolte have both played in 115 games in their career apiece. The 115 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 97 starts are fifth 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 314 points this season. Her previous high for a season was just 83 points as a freshman. Junior Lisa Rusche has tallied 316 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 343 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 452 points, surpassing her total of 320 points from last season.

Combined, the four players have scored 695 more points so far this season than their best single season total in prior years (1,425-730).

13 MAC Wins . . .

The Cardinals' 13 victories in MAC play ties the program record for single season conference wins. The Cardinals also won 13 MAC games in 2001-02 on their way to the MAC West Division title.

This is the sixth season in which BSU has reached double figures in MAC wins in program history. The Cardinals also turned in 12 wins in the 2002-03 season. BSU won 11 games on three different occasions: 2004-05, 2000-01, and 1996-97 seasons.

DeMuth Honored . . .

Junior forward Julie DeMuth was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for her efforts at Northern Illinois. This is the fifth weekly honor for the Cardinals this season and the second straight to end the regular season.

DeMuth, who has won a weekly honor already this season, guided the Cardinals to a come-from-behind 81-70 victory at Northern Illinois in the regular season finale on Wednesday night. She posted her team-leading 10th double-double of the season as she scored 20 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

DeMuth connected on six-of-13 from the field and was eight-of-nine from the charity stripe. She scored 14 second half points as the Cardinals rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit, including a stretch in which she scored 12 points in a four minute span.

In Good Company . . .

The Cardinals enter the MAC Tournament as one of five teams in the nation to be in the top 14 in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.

The Cardinals are 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 45.9 percent while they are seventh in the nation from long range at 37.9 percent. BSU is joined in this elite company by Maryland (26-4), Vanderbilt (24-5), Wisconsin-Green Bay (23-3), and Bowling Green (25-3). The combined record of the all five teams is 119-20 on the season, good for a .856 winning percentage.

Keep On Rolling . . .

The Cardinals' 24-5 record is their best mark after 29 games in program history. The Cardinals' previous best start was in the 2001-02 season when they opened 23-6. BSU finished the 2001-02 team posted a 24-8 overall mark.

BSU is also 13-3 in Mid-American Conference action this season. The 13-3 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 at least four players averaging double figures on the season. Julie DeMuth leads the charge at 15.6 followed by Kelsey Corbin (11.8), Lisa Rusche (10.9 and Porchia Green (10.8).. Freshman Audrey McDonald is just under 10 points per game at 8.9. The Cardinals have had five players average double figures for most of the season.

In fact, only 17th ranked Bowling Green has more players averaging double figures with five heading into the tournament. Five other MAC teams have three players averaging double figures in Eastern Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan.

Scouting the Cardinals . . .

The Cardinals enter today's final with a 24-5 overall record and have won five straight games. The Cardinals are averaging 73.6 points per game this season and are holding opponents to just 64.0 points per game.

Ball State has connected on 45.6 percent of its shots from the field this season and has hit on 38.4 percent from three-point land. The Cardinals have four players averaging double figures this season and have nine players averaging at least four points per game.

Junior forward Julie DeMuth leads the way as she averages a team-high 15.6 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per contest. She has recorded a MAC-best 11 double-doubles this season.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game. She is connecting on 54.0 percent of her shots from the field which is the best mark for a guard in the MAC. She has also dished out a team-high 133 assists.

Junior forward Lisa Rusche is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.9 boards per contest. Sophomore guard Porchia Green rounds out the Cardinals' in double figures as she chips in 10.6 points per game. She is third on the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game and is second in assists with 108.

Scouting the Falcons . . .

Bowling Green, the 18th ranked team in the country, comes into today's final with a 28-3 overall record. The Falcons are averaging 76.1 points per game while allowing just 56.7 points per contest.

BGSU has connected on 47.8 percent from the field this season and has hit on 38.6 percent from three-point land. Senior forward Ali Mann. the MAC Co-Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring as she averages 15.5 points per game while also chipping in 5.6 rebounds per game.

Guard Carin Horne is second on the team in scoring at 12 points per game and has connected on 36 percent of three-point shots. Guard Kate Achter adds 11.8 points per game and leads the team with 149 assists.

Cardinals In NCAA Stats . . .

The Cardinals as a team are in the top 50 in eight 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 37.9 percent. The Cardinals are also 14th in field goal percentage (45.9), 19th (73.9), 22nd in won/loss percentage (81.5), 22nd in assists (16.2), 27th in free throw percentage (74.8), 39th in scoring margin (+9.8) and 44th in three-pointers made per game (5.9).

Individually speaking, freshman guard Audrey McDonald is 20th in the nation in three-point percentage at 40.6 percent. Vanderbilt's Caroline Williams leads the nation at 49.7 percent. McDonald is also 82nd in the nation in three-pointers per game at 2.1. Senior guard Tina Bolte would be seventh in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.2 if she had enough attempts.

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin is 60th in the nation in assists per game at 4.7 while sophomore Porchia Green is 93rd in the nation in steals per game at 2.3. Junior Julie DeMuth is 74th in the country in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game.

RPI Watching . . .

The Cardinals and their 24-5 record have been making some noise in the RPI rankings this season. Ball State is listed as high as 31st by RealtimeRPI.com. The Cardinals are also listed at 41st by CollegeRPI.com and 45 by the RPIRatings.com.

The Cardinals are listed at 45th in the latest NCAA RPI listings on March 5th.

Owning the Glass . . .

Junior guard Julie DeMuth leads the Cardinals and is third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding this season at 9.0 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 ninth most in a single season at BSU. Her 260 rebounds this season just surpassed her total from last season to move into sixth most in a single season.

She became just the fifth player all-time to reach 700-career rebounds with her 16-rebound effort on Tuesday. She is fifth place all-time in career rebounds as she now has 718 boards. She just surpassed Stephanie McQuinn for fifth place.

3rd - Tamara Bowie (933)

4th - Karen Bauer (760)

5th - Julie DeMuth (718)

6th - Stephanie McQuinn (678)

7th - Kate Endress (663)

8th - Jamie Lehotsky (642)

9th - Char Thomsen (630)

10th - Shelley Silk (618)

It's Trey Day . . .

Senior Tina Bolte has posted three of the Top 10 seasons for three-pointers made in program history. Last season, she 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 49 three-pointers. She moved into sole possession of third place all-time in the first meeting with Northern Illinois. She enters the tournament with 181 career three-pointers.

1st - Johna Goff (253)

2nd - Kate Endress (205)

3rd- Tina Bolte (181)

4th - Markita Griffin (152)

5th - Alana Hancock (139)

Lending a Helping Hand . . .

Senior guard Kelsey Corbin leads the team in assists with season with 133. She became fourth player to reach 400 career assists with her eight helpers against Eastern MIchigan. She sits alone in fourth place all-time with 419 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 (419)

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 surpassed that with 11 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, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and versus Western Michigan in the first round of the tournament.

She is tied for the MAC lead with 11 double-doubles this season with Rachel Frederick of Ohio.

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 - 24

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 84 three-pointers this season. Her 58 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 (58 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 46 blocks this season. Her 46 rejections are already second most in a single season in BSU history. She just surpassed Tamara Bowie (39, 1999-2000) and Shelley Silk (38, 1981-81) to move into second place.

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

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

2nd- Lisa Rusche (64, 06-07)

3rd - Bowie (39, 99-00)

4th - Shelley Silk (38, 81-82)

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

t-6th - Bowie (31, 01-20)

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

Cleaning the Glass . . .

The Cardinals enter the tournament with a 14-3 record on the season when they out-rebound their opponent. Ball State though, is ninth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding offense at 35.7 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 +2.0 boards per game.

Did You Know? . . .

The Cardinals are 17-2 this season when they score at least 70 points in a game. Ball State is also 19-1 when it holds opponents under the 70-point mark. .

Cardinal Honors . . .

So far this season, the Cardinals have claimed five Player of the Week accolades. Senior guard Kelsey Corbin and junior forward Julie DeMuth both have been named two different times this season. Junior forward Lisa Rusche picked up her first career weekly honor in the second to last week of the season.

This marks the first time since the 2002-03 season that Ball State has taken home five or more Player of the Week accolades in a season.

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 115-64 record into the MAC Tournament Final.

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 the tournament, the Cardinals have four players in the top 30 in scoring in the MAC with Julie DeMuth (ninth), Kelsey Corbin (18th), Porchia Green (27th) and Lisa Rusche (30th). The Cardinals also have three players in the top 16 in rebounding with DeMuth (2nd), Rusche (11th) and Green (16th).

Senior Tina Bolte leads the MAC in three-point shooting as she has connected on 42.2 percent. Freshman Audrey McDonald is second in the MAC at 40.6. Green would be second in the MAC if she had enough attempts to qualify.

Corbin is third in the conference in field goal percentage at 53.8, the best mark by a guard in the MAC this season. Rusche is 10th in the conference in field goal percentage at 48.8 while DeMuth is 14th at 44.9 percent.

Green is second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 1.83, while Corbin is fifth at 1.60. Corbin is also fourth in the conference in assists at 4.63 per game Rusche is second in blocks at 41.

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.