Jan. 5, 2011
Final Stats
KENT, Ohio - The Miami women's basketball team held a slim halftime lead but Kent State used an 18-7 run over the final 5:30 to break open a tight game and knock off Miami, 76-62, in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night at the M.A.C. Center. The MAC-opening loss was the first for the RedHawks (8-6, 0-1 MAC) since the 2007-08 campaign while the Golden Flashes (10-3, 1-0 MAC) improved to 6-0 at home this year.
Sophomore forward Kirsten Olowinski paced Miami with her fifth double-double of the season, notching a team-high 13 points and collecting a game-high 14 rebounds. Junior guard Maggie Boyer chipped in 12 points, including the RedHawks' only two 3-pointers of the game (on 16 attempts by Miami), while freshman guard Hannah Robertson finished with 10 points. Sophomore guard Courtney Osborn corralled a career-high eight boards and dished out a team-high six assists.
The 'Hawks shot just 37.7 percent for the game, including 32.4 percent in the final 20 minutes, while KSU hit at a 44.1 percent clip, including 17-for-33 (51.5 percent) in the second half. Miami, which entered the game in the top 15 nationally in free throw shooting, went just 14-of-23 at the charity stripe compared to the Flashes' 22-for-32, as the game saw a combined 49 fouls and 40 turnovers.
Miami struggled out of the gate, not hitting its first field goal until Olowinski put in a lay-up at the 14:32 mark, but thanks to strong defense, the 'Hawks only trailed 6-4. With Miami behind 7-4, freshman forward Erica Almady converted an old-fashioned three-point play to spark a 7-0 RedHawk spurt that put the Red and White up 11-7 with under 12 minutes to play.
The game see-sawed back and forth for much of the remainder of the half, as it featured five ties and six lead changes. Miami led by just one when one of Boyer's trifectas put the 'Hawks up 30-26, matching their largest lead of the half with 1:28 left, but the Flashes answered with a pair of transition layups to pull even. A layup by junior Rachael Hencke with 20 ticks remaining however, sent Miami to the locker room up 32-30.
The RedHawks grabbed their largest lead of the game at 36-31 on a lay-in by Olowinski with 18:59 to play but Kent State chipped away and took the lead for good, 41-40, on a jumper by Tayler Stanton at the 13:39 mark. KSU would go up by six with 8:52 remaining, 53-47, but Miami was able to close within two on buckets by Almady and Robertson. However, the 'Hawks would get no closer as the Flashes used a 7-0 burst to stretch a 58-55 edge to 65-55 with 4:25 remaining and closed out the 76-62 win, holding Miami to just two field goals the rest of the game.
Five Flashes finished in double figures led by Jamilah Humes' 18 points while Taisja Jones finished with 17 points and nine boards. Humes also chipped in seven assists as did Tamzin Barroilhet. KSU outrebounded Miami 46-35 for the game.
The RedHawks continue MAC play on the road Saturday when they take on preseason favorite Bowling Green at 2 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
--MURedHawks.com--
