Miami University
Central Michigan
Miami Stuns Central Michigan, 81-77, With Dramatic Comeback
2/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2004
MT. PLEASANT, Mich.--A furious comeback in the final two minutes of regulation and a clutch overtime trey by Nicki Motto (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) kept the dream alive for Miami University's women's basketball team Saturday afternoon in Central Michigan University's Rose Arena, as the RedHawks gutted out an 81-77 overtime win over the Chippewas and extended their win streak to 10 games.
With the win, Miami improved to 18-6 overall and 12-1 in the Mid-American Conference, while guaranteeing a first-round bye for the MAC Tournament and a fifth straight trip to Cleveland for the league quarterfinals. The RedHawks can clinch their second straight MAC East title and at least a share of their first overall league title since 1990 with one win in their final three contests.
Miami scored the first five points of the game and led 8-5 after Nicki Motto's (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) knocked down her second trey of the game at 13:39. The momentum was short-lived, as CMU jumped in front, 12-10, with a pair of Lindy Hatfield treys--the second coming at15:01--and would lead for the next 35-plus minutes..
Plagued by frigid shooting, Miami, despite creating high-percentage shots, knocked down only two field goals over the next seven minutes and trailed by a game-high nine points with 5:43 to play. Sparked by Kim Lancaster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) and Hillary Beck (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), Miami finally showed signs of life, assembling an 8-0 run to close to within a point, 25-24 with 1:29 remaining. CMU finished strong, tallying a long Lindsay Mecoli trey off a broken play at the buzzer to lead 30-24 going into the half.
Hitting just 10-of-30 (.333) shots in the half, Miami was led by Lancaster's eight points and Colleen Day's (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) six rebounds. The Red and White forced 14 first-half turnovers but committed 10 of its own and was out-rebounded 22-15 in the half.
Miami fought its way back early in the second, getting a Motto trey followed by a Day three-point play to knot the score at 34-34 with 14:55 remaining. The next four minutes would nearly prove catastrophic for the RedHawks, as the Chippewas knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers that launched a 13-2 run and gave them their largest lead at 47-36 with 11:11 to play. With its offense still struggling, and CMU burying everything in sight, Miami would trail by as many as 13.
Lancaster finally brought the RedHawk offense to life, burying eight straight points, and a Beck 3-pointer pulled the RedHawks back to within seven with 7:53 to play. CMU, which shot a staggering 67 percent in the half, continued to have all the answers, rebuilding their double-digit lead with an Erin Kuhl trey at the seven-minute mark. On a day when all of the bounces and calls were going CMU's way, a Miami victory seemed almost out of question, and the RedHawks trailed 67-57 coming out of a timeout with 1:58 to play.
Motto started a spectacular rally with a trey at 1:42. After CMU expanded its lead back to nine with a layup at 1:13, Motto struck again, knocking down her fourth trey of the game at 1:01. Trailing by six, Miami came up with a turnover and with 48 seconds in regulation, Motto drilled a heavily contested trey to close to 69-66. The RedHawks came up with another Chippewa turnover on the next possession, and five seconds later Day netted Miami's fourth straight trey, eventually sending the game to overtime at 69-69.
Day scored the first point of overtime with a free throw, giving Miami its first lead since 14:35 of the first half. The senior was nearly unstoppable down the stretch, tallying 11 unanswered points, but with 1:10 remaining in overtime and just a 76-75 lead, Day drew her fifth foul on the offensive end of the court. Two CMU free throws with 45 seconds left spotted the Chippewas a one-point advantage, but Motto finished what she started with her career-best seventh trey of the game with 32 seconds remaining.
Central Michigan would not get another shot off, and freshman Amanda Jackson (Springfield, Ohio/South) put the game out of reach with two free throws in the closing second. The win extended Miami's winning streak to 10 games--the fourth-longest in program history.
Motto and Day, who combined to tally the last 12 points of regulation and first 10 points of overtime, finished with 21 points apiece. Motto, who connected on 7-of-9 3-pointers, set career highs for points and 3-point field goals. Lancaster rounded out Miami's double-figure scorers with 16 points. Miami finished the game at 45.1 percent from the floor, while CMU connected on 52.8 percent of its efforts but committed 28 turnovers.
Miami closes out its regular-season with a three-game homestand that tips off at 7 p.m. Wednesday versus a Ball State University team that bumped the RedHawks from the MAC Tournament last season. From there, the RedHawks host Buffalo next Saturday in the first half of a Miami basketball doubleheader.
