Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosting Western Michigan Wednesday
January 04, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Ball State (5-7; MAC 0-0) vs.
Western Michigan (5-8; MAC 0-0)
Wednesday • 7 p.m.
Worthen Arena (Capacity: 11,500) -- Muncie, Ind.
Radio: WCRD (91.3 FM) - James Rider and Kyle Binder; WERK (104.9 FM) - Jay Garrison
Scouting Ball State: The Cardinals enter the Western Michigan game with a 5-7 overall record . . . Ball State will be opening the Mid-American Conference season vs. the Broncos . . . Junior forward Emily Maggert had yet another double-double performance with a career high 26 points and adding 12 rebounds . . . It marked Maggert's eighth double-double of the season and 10th of her career . . . Sophomore guard Patrice King chipped in 10 points, while senior forward Danielle Gratton led the team with five assists and two steals.
Scouting Western Michigan: The Broncos are 5-8 overall and will also be opening the MAC season Wednesday night . . . Western Michigan is coming off a Dec. 30, 74-65 loss at nationally ranked James Madison . . . Miami Giden is leading the Broncos with 16.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
The Coaches: Ball State head coach Kelly Packard is in her second season at Ball State . . . Packard's overall record at Ball State is 31-16 . . . Tasha McDowell is in her second year at Western Michigan after leading the Broncos to a 7-23 mark in her initial campaign last year.
The Series: Ball State and Western Michigan have met 61 times with the Broncos holding a 32-29 all-time advantage . . . In games played at Ball State, the Cardinals have an 18-13 all-time edge . . . Ball State has won the last five meetings and nine of the last 10 outings.
On This Date: Ball State and Bowling Green played on Jan. 6, 1999, and the game was a four overtime thriller won by the Falcons, 106-105, in Worthen Arena . . . Also on this date in the 2006-07 season, Ball State managed a 76-60 win over Western Michigan.
Game Watch: Junior forward Emily Maggert needs two rebounds to reach the 500 mark, which would tie Maggert for 16th all-time in career boards at Ball State . . . Amy Zercher (2000-02) managed 500 career rebounds in her Ball State career and ranks 16th all-time in school history . . . Lisa Hicks (1982-85) is 15th with 501, Lisa Rusche (2005-08) is 14th with 510 career rebounds and Gena Rusch (1988-91) is 13th all time at Ball State with 540.
Maggert Watch: Junior forward Emily Maggert needs 38 points to reach the 1,000 point mark . . . Maggert would become the first junior to reach 1,000-point plateau since 2003-04 when Kate Endress and Johna Goff both reach 1,000 in their junior seasons . . . With 962 career points, Maggert ranks 21st on Ball State's career chart . . . She trails teammate Audrey McDonald, who has 1,111 career points . . . Maggert would become the 21st player in Ball State history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
The Last Time: The last time two women's basketball players reached the 1,000-point mark in a season was in 2003-04 when teammates Kate Endress and Johna Goff both accomplished the feat . . . Senior guard Audrey McDonald scored the 1,000th point of her career against Northern Arizona earlier this season.
Maggert Leading The Way on the Boards: Junior forward Emily Maggert leads Ball State in defensive rebounds with 102 . . . Maggert, who averages 11.7 rebounds, has pulled down double digit boards in all but three of the Cardinals games this season . . . She has 10 career double-doubles, including eight this season.
Audrey McDonald File
- Ranks 15th on the all-time scoring list with 1,111 points
- Holds the career three-point record with 266
- Third all-time in games started with 107
- Fifth all-time in minutes played with 3,493
McDonald Takes Three Point Record: Senior guard Audrey McDonald became the Ball State women's basketball all-time career record holder in three pointers made in the Cardinals 89-77 victory over North Dakota this season . . . Her 254th three pointer made passed the mark of 253 by Johna Goff from 2001-04.
McDonald And Her Three's: Senior guard Audrey McDonald has hit at least one three point basket in her last 10 contests, dating back to last season . . . The most McDonald has made in a single game is nine in 2007-08 at home vs. Western Michigan, which is the Ball State school single-game record.
McDonald and the Career Scoring Chart
10. 1,251 Porchia Green, 2006-09
11. 1,204 Markita Griffin, 1996-99
12. 1,171 Jessica Reiter, 2001-04
13. 1,162 Shala Crook, 1999-2002
14. 1,138 Kelli Hipsher, 1988-91
15. 1,111 Audrey McDonald, 2007-Present
Rebound That Basketball: The Cardinals return 71 percent of their rebounding from last season led by senior Danielle Gratton who had 244 rebounds and junior Emily Maggert who pulled down 211 boards . . . In 2008-09, Maggert is leading the team with 11.7 rebounds per game, while Gratton is second on the squad with 6.3 per contest.
Gratton and Maggert Named Preseason All-MAC: Senior forward Danielle Gratton and teammate junior forward Emily Maggert were named preseason All-MAC by the conference office in late October . . . Gratton averaged 11.7 points per game a year ago, while leading the team in rebounding with 7.0 a contest . . . Maggert shot 54 percent from the field last year, leading the team in field goal percentage . . . She also led the Cardinals in points with 470 and was third in rebounding with 6.0 boards a game.
Player Fun Facts: Ball State senior forward Danielle Gratton earned a bachelor's degree from Ball State in communications in the spring of 2009 . . . Gratton is currently working on a masters degree . . . Ball State sophomore forward Amber Crago, the former Amber Clark, was married August 1, 2009 to Kraegan Crago.
Muncie Native Has Career Day: Junior guard Ty'Ronda Benning had a career day in the Cardinals win over Illinois State . . . She led Ball State in scoring with a career high 22-point performance . . . Benning has scored in double figures in four games this season . . . Benning, a graduate of Muncie South High School and Lincoln Trail Community College, is the first hometown women's basketball player to be on Ball State's roster since Christy Jones in 1999-2000 . . . Jones was from Muncie Central and lettered one year for the Cardinals . . . At Lincoln Trail, Benning was second all-time in scoring with 900 career points . . . She averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2008-09, while being named Regional 24 Player of the Year and earning All-American and all-conference honors.
King Scoring Trend: Sophomore guard Patrice King, who managed a career high 16 points vs. Illinois State last season, has scored 15 points vs. Northern Arizona and at North Dakota State this year . . . She has scored in double figures in seven games this year, including the last two games -- 13 at Evansville and 10 at Butler.
Ball State Picked Second In Preseason MAC: The Ball State Cardinals have been picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division preseason poll with 14 votes, while Toledo was chosen to finish first with 18 votes . . . Bowling Green was again tabbed to finish on top in the MAC East Division and to win the MAC Tournament Championship.
2008-09 MAC Recap: Ball State posted its best Mid-American Conference showing in school history with a 14-2 mark last season . . . The Cardinals won a third straight MAC West Division Championship in 2009, while winning the school's first-ever MAC Tournament Championship . . . Ball State received the MAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament and defeated Tennessee in a first round game, 71-55.
2009-10 Captains: Seniors Danielle Gratton and Audrey McDonald, along with junior Emily Maggert, were named team captains for the 2009-10 season.
