MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State women's basketball team closes out the 2007-08 regular season Wednesday night as the Cardinals host Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals are one win away from claiming their second straight MAC West Division title and the number one seed from the West Division in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Wednesday's game will also be senior night as forwards Julie DeMuth (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) and Lisa Rusche (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) will be recognized in a post-game ceremony for their contributions to the program. The two seniors have combined to play 223 games, score 2,077 points, grab 1,397 career rebounds and tally 150 career blocked shots. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game to show their support for the Cardinals.
“This is a special game in a lot of ways,” acting head coach Lisa McDonald said. “We have an opportunity to win the West Division title and we have the chance to honor our two great seniors in Julie and Lisa. Hopefully, we can continue to build on our momentum heading into the upcoming MAC Tournament.”
Ball State enters the game with a 14-14 overall record and a 10-5 mark in MAC play. The Cardinals are currently tied atop the MAC West Division with Eastern Michigan but own all of the tiebreakers with the Eagles. The Cardinals have won four straight games heading into Wednesday's game and are 8-1 this season against teams from the West Division.
Junior guard Porchia Green (Indianapolis, Ind./Arlington) leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. She is also tops on the team in rebounding (7.1), steals (127) and steals (43). DeMuth is second in scoring at 11.6 points per game and second on the boards at 6.6 rebounds per contest.
Rusche adds 10.9 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Sophomore guard Audrey McDonald (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) adds 9.9 points per game and has connected on 43.8 percent (74-of-169) from three-point land.
Freshman forward Emily Maggert (Paris, Ill./Paris) is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game and is averaging 12.8 per MAC game this year. Junior guard Kiley Jarrett (Bloomington, Ind./North) chips in 8.6 points per game and is second on the team with 116 assists.
Wednesday's game is the 33rd meeting all-time between Ball State and Northern Illinois. The Cardinals lead the series by a 20-12 margin and have won nine straight. Ball State has actually won 14 out of the last 15 meetings with the Huskies. The Cardinals are 10-4 all-time against NIU at home in Muncie with wins in the past eight meetings at home.
The Cardinals received contributions up and down their lineup earlier this season as six different players scored in double figures in the Cardinals' 84-78 victory at Northern Illinois in just the second Mid-American Conference game of the season. Ball State used a strong second half effort to claim the victory as it shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field in the second frame, including 85.7 percent (six-of-seven) from three-point land.
Green led the Cardinals' double figure scorers as she poured in a team-high 20 points. She connected on nine-of-12 from the field, including a perfect two-of-two from long range. Maggert continued her strong start to her MAC career as she added 16 points and six rebounds.
McDonald chipped in 14 points as she connected on four-of-seven from three-point land. Rusche and DeMuth each added 12 points apiece for the Cardinals' attack. DeMuth finished the game six-of-eight shooting from the field, while playing 20 minutes of action. Jarrett rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points, as she was two-of-three from three-point land.
Northern Illinois comes into the regular season finale with a 10-16 overall record and a 6-7 mark in Mid-American Conference action. The Huskies have dropped two straight games and have secured the fourth seed from the MAC West Division in the upcoming MAC Tournament. The game is the third game for NIU since Saturday afternoon as it played Ohio Monday night in a make-up game.
Forward Whitney Lowe leads the Huskies in scoring this season at 11.5 points per game while also adding 5.2 rebounds per contest. Guard Kylie York is second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game and has connected on 68 three-pointers this season.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on the Ball State Sports Network with Wil Hampton providing the play-by-play and Heather Cusick adding the color commentary.
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