Feb. 25, 2012
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - In a tough, physical game, the Miami University women's basketball team fell to Bowling Green, 64-55, on Saturday. Courtney Osborn led the RedHawks with 21 points, 19 of which came during a second half comeback attempt. Miami falls to 20-8 overall and 10-5 in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons improve to 24-5 and clinch the MAC East Division championship at 13-2.
The game would feature some crazy plays throughout. After Haley Robertson hit a jumper to put the RedHawks on the board, Miami would force Bowling Green into a bad pass on the offensive end. Junior forward Alexis Rogers would bat the ball that was flying out of bounds towards the side where it was found by Chrissy Steffen. She hit the wide-open three-pointer to put the Falcons in front, 8-2.
Trailing 11-4, two layups and three-pointer from Kirsten Olowinski set up a 7-2 run that pulled Miami to within two at 13-11. Bowling Green pushed right back with a 7-0 run to extend the advantage to nine. Trailing 22-13 with 3:04 remaining, Rachael Hencke hit two free throws and a three-pointer to make it 22-18, but the Falcons scored the last two baskets to take a 26-18 lead into the break.
Olowinski led Miami with seven points in the first half. The Red and White outrebounded BGSU, 15-14, during the frame.
Free throws were the story of the second half, as the Falcons went to the line 30 times during the period, hitting 25. Bowling Green would push the lead to as many as 15 at 48-33 before Miami would begin its comeback attempt with 6:49 remaining.
A jumper from Hencke and two treys from Osborn were part of a 12-5 run that made it 53-45 with 3:47 to go. The Falcons would hit some more free throws, but a layup from Olowinski and another jumper from Osborn would pull the RedHawks to within seven at 56-49. Miami would attempt to foul to extend the game, but Bowling Green would hit all of its remaining free throws down the stretch to secure the 64-55 win.
In addition to Osborn's 21 points, Hencke finished with 13. Olowinski had her third straight double-double, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds. Miami shot 38.4 percent (20-for-52) for the game, while holding the Falcons to 34.1 percent (14-for-41) shooting. The difference came at the free throw line, where BGSU finished 34-fo4-41 (82.9 percent).
Miami has now secured the fourth seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and will play its quarterfinal game on Thursday, Mar. 8 at noon. Before that the RedHawks will complete the regular season when they host Ohio on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Prior to the game, they will hold their Senior Day ceremony, where Hencke, Maggie Boyer and Lillian Pitts will be honored for their accomplishments the past four seasons.
