Jan. 8, 2005
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio--Trailing by 17 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, Miami University's women's basketball team (8-5; 2-0 MAC) once again showed its flare for the dramatic, improving to 2-0 in Mid-American Conference play by shocking the Ohio University Bobcats (5-8; 1-1 MAC), 75-71. The contest was Miami's fifth in the past six games that came down to the final 15 seconds.
After Miami led much of the first half, twice owning seven-point advantages, Ohio seemed to sway the momentum over the final five minutes of regulation, forging a 36-36 halftime edge and seizing control early in the second half. Miami trailed by as many as seven with 16:07 to play but closed to within 48-47 by the 13:29 mark. The next 3:30, however, would appear catastrophic for the Red and White. Ohio outrebounded Miami 8-1 during the stretch, nabbed three steals and launched a 16-0 run that forced the RedHawks to burn two timeouts before the Bobcat lead peaked at 64-47 with 9:54 to play.
Sarah Hull (Greenfield, OH/McClain), who would enjoy a breakout game, finally busted Miami out of its funk with a pair of free throws before Nicki Motto (Dayton, OH/Oakwood) connected on a jumper to get the RedHawks rolling. A Kim Smith (Gary, IN/West Side) steal paid off in the form of a Cindi Merrill (Noblesville, IN/Noblesville) 3-pointer and in exactly 1:30, Miami had closed the gap to within 10 points.
After a Bobcat timeout, Motto, who led the RedHawks in scoring for the second straight game, knocked down one of her five 3-point field goals on the day to put Miami back within striking distance. A pair of Amber Miller (Vermilion, OH/Vermilion) free throws at 6:46 concluded a 12-0 run that seemed so improbable just over three minutes earlier. Ohio, which connected on only two field goals over the final 10 minutes of the game, finally broke its spell from the free throw line and led 69-62 following four unanswered Lindsay Wight free throws.
Miami charged back with seven more unanswered points, capped by a three-point play from Hull, and knotted the score at 69-69 with 2:22 remaining. Ohio finally responded with a Kristian Kirkpatrick field goal to briefly regain the lead, but it would be the Bobcats' only field goal over the final 9:54 of the game. On the next possession, Merrill gave Miami its first lead since 19:28 with a drive to the bucket that resulted in a three-point play. The RedHawk defense came up big with three stops down the stretch, while Merrill and Motto combined to sink 3-of-6 free throws and finally put the game out of reach in the final seconds.
The RedHawks, who defeated Ohio for the 10th consecutive time, won despite shooting 37.7 percent from the floor and being outrebounded 49-36. Leading the way was Motto, who tallied her first 20-point game of the season with 22 points and five assists in 40 minutes of play. Merrill contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Hull, who played a career-high 20 minutes, also chipped in a career-best 15 points. Miller added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks to round out Miami's double digit scorers.
Miami returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Buffalo for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The RedHawks play four of their next five games on the road.
