Jan. 16, 2010

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

OXFORD, Ohio - A tough shooting night for Miami spoiled a strong defensive effort as the Akron Zips defeated the RedHawks 55-40 Saturday afternoon. The women's team wore their pinks jerseys to support the men's Coaches versus Cancer Effort from earlier in the day. The RedHawks fall to 4-13 overall and 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips improve to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in the MAC.

Both teams struggled from the floor early in the first half. Six points from Rachael Hencke along with three from Ashleigh Brown helped keep Miami close as it trailed 12-9 with 11:16 remaining in the period. The RedHawks were unable to score for the next seven minutes, as Akron expanded the lead to 19-9. That streak was broken with an Erin Wisner layup at the 3:55 mark. The Zips closed the half on a 6-3 run to take a 25-14 lead into the break.

Akron was able to push the lead to 20 points at 41-21 with 11:01 remaining as the RedHawks continued to struggle with their shooting. From there, Miami clamped down on defense while Kirsten Olowinski hit two layups and a free throw to help pull the RedHawks to within 17 at 49-32. The teams traded free throws and Courtney Reed hit a three-pointer in the final minute to make the final score 55-40 in favor of the Zips.

Hencke led Miami with 11 points and eight rebounds for the game. The RedHawks held Akron to 32.2 percent shooting (19-for-59), but were only able to shoot 24.1 percent (13-for-54) themselves. The Zips outrebounded the RedHawks 46-40 for the contest.

Miami hits the road for its next game as it travels to Bowling Green to face the Falcons Tuesday at 7 p.m.