Feb. 23, 2011
Final Stats
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Miami came from 15 down to pull within one with eight seconds remaining, but a free throw that rimmed out and a steal off the rebound allowed Buffalo to escape with a 77-74 win Wednesday night. Kirsten Olowinski led the RedHawks with 22 points and eight rebounds. Miami falls to 10-17 overall and 2-12 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls improve to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in the MAC.
The RedHawks had fallen behind 65-50 with 8:21 remaining. Back-to-back three-pointers from Olowinski and Maggie Boyer cut the deficit to nine with 7:17 to go. Erica Almady made it an 8-0 run with two free throws before the Bulls finally ended the drought with two free throws of their own. Still Miami kept fighting with two Courtney Osborn free throws and a jumper by Olowinski that made it 67-62 at the 5:38 mark.
A 5-2 run by Buffalo once again made it an eight-point game at 72-64 with 3:39 to go. A three-pointer by Osborn cut the advantage down to five, but her fifth foul on the next possession put her out of the game. The Bulls missed the free throw and Olowinski hit a layup to make it 72-69 with 2:37 to go. On Miami's next offensive possession, Hannah Robertson's shot rimmed out, but Almady was right there with the put back to make it 72-71 at the 1:48 mark.
Buffalo was able to hit what looked to be a dagger of a shot when Nicki Hopkins buried a three-pointer with 1:05 remaining to make it 75-71, but Maggie Boyer answered with a jumper at the 46 second mark. The RedHawks held strong defensively and forced a miss by the Bulls. With eight seconds to go, Olowinski was fouled as she went for a layup. She hit the first, but the second rimmed out. However, Almady was right there for the rebound. As she turned around though Kourtney Brown was able to steal the ball. She was fouled with four seconds to go and made both of her free throws. Miami took the ball down the court, but Robertson's three-pointer at the buzzer was wide of the target.
The game had started out well for Miami when back-to-back three-pointers from Osborn and Olowinski and a jumper from Olowinski gave the RedHawks an 8-2 lead early. A 15-2 run by the Bulls made it 17-10 with 13:38 to go in the half. Trailing 31-22, an old-fashioned three-point play by Almady and a three-pointer from Olowinski would help Miami pull within three at 33-30 with 4:15 to go. On the next possession, a three-pointer that would have tied it rimmed out, and Buffalo answered with a three-pointer of its own to spark a 9-5 run that made it 44-35 going into the break.
The lead stayed between seven and nine points for the first four minutes of the second half. At the 15:14 mark, a layup by Beth Christensen sparked a 13-5 run by Buffalo that gave the Bulls their largest lead at 15 points and set the RedHawks up for their comeback attempt.
In addition to Olowinski's 22 points, Osborn scored 18. She is only 13 points away from 1,000 for her career. Boyer had 12 points, while Almady had her first career double-double, setting career highs in both points (10) and rebounds (11). Robertson recorded a career-high seven assists.
Miami returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Akron for its home finale at 2:30 p.m. That game is part of a doubleheader that will see the men take on Bowling Green at 11 a.m.
