CLEVELAND, Ohio ? The Ball State women's basketball team opens play in the 2008 Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament on Tuesday afternoon as the Cardinals battle Toledo in the quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena. The quarterfinal contest will be broadcast on 104.9 WERK FM.
The Cardinals are the top seed from the West Division after claiming their second straight divisional championship. Toledo enters as the West Division's fifth seed and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 53-50 victory over #4-East Buffalo in the first round Monday afternoon.
“Heading into the MAC Tournament, we know that every team is playing with a great sense of urgency,” acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. “Toledo is coming in with a lot of confidence and we have to come out ready to play tomorrow afternoon. We need to match their energy and continue to play Ball State Basketball.”
Ball State enters the tournament with a 15-14 overall record and an 11-5 mark in MAC play as the Cardinals have won five straight games. The Cardinals posted a 9-1 record this season against teams from the MAC-West Division. Ball State's five-game winning streak is it's longest of the season and the longest winning streak heading into the MAC Tournament in program history.
In their current streak, the Cardinals are averaging 74.2 points per game while allowing 62.0 points per game against. The Cardinals are also shooting 51.1 percent (143-of-280) from the field and 42.5 percent (34-of-80) from three-point land. Six different players are averaging at least 9.4 points per game during the current run, including five in double figures.
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington), a First Team All-MAC selection, lead the team in scoring (13.0), rebounds (7.0), assists (133) and steals (48) this season. Senior forward Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and on the boards at 6.7 caroms per contest. She was named Third Team All-MAC to become just the third Cardinal all-time to receive postseason MAC accolades all four years of her career.
Senior forward Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) is third on the team in both scoring (11.0) and rebounding (6.3) while earned Honorable Mention All-MAC accolades. Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game and has connected on 44.1 percent (78-of-177) from three-point land this season.
Freshman forward Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris) is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 5.0 boards per game. She became the first Cardinal all-time to be named the MAC's Sixth Player of the Year. Junior guard Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington, Ind./North) is sixth in scoring at 8.5 points per game and second in assists with 122.
Ball State and Toledo have met 57 times prior to the MAC Tournament, with the Cardinals trailing the all-time series by a 15-42 margin. The Cardinals and Rockets have met three times in MAC Tournament history with Toledo taking home victories in all three meetings. The Rockets won in the 2000 quarterfinals, the 1992 quarterfinals and the 1982 first round.
Ball State and Toledo split the season series this year with each home team claiming the victory. Toledo took the first win of the season series with a 72-66 victory at Savage Hall before the Cardinals garnered the split with a 76-49 victory at Worthen Arena. Toledo is the only team from the MAC West Division to defeat Ball State this season.
The Cardinals shot 47.5 percent (58-of-122) from the field in the two games against Toledo but only connected on 33.3 percent (12-of-36) from long range. BSU also only connected on 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the free throw line against Toledo.
Green paced the Cardinals in the two games with 14.5 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Rusche added 14.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds. Jarrett added 12 points per game while DeMuth chipped in 11.5 points per contest.
Toledo brings a 13-15 overall record and a 5-10 MAC mark into the tournament quarterfinals. Toledo has won three straight games, including two straight to close out the regular season with victories at Central Michigan and an upset at Western Michigan. The two victories snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Rockets.
Toledo is led by 13-year head coach Mark Ehlen who has announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Rockets are averaging 61.7 points per game this season but are averaging 79 points over their past two regular season victories. Toledo is holding opponents to just 65.0 points per game against.
Guard Allie Clifton leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game. She has missed considerable time this season due to an injury, but she scored 14 points off of the bench against Western Michigan in the final game of the regular season. Forward Tamesha Scotton is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game.
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