Feb. 28, 2012
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
OXFORD, Ohio -- Senior Rachael Hencke made it a Senior Night to remember when she hit a running layup with 5.4 seconds remaining to lift Miami to a 51-49 victory over rival Ohio in the regular-season finale Tuesday night at Millett Hall. Courtney Osborn led the team with 14 points total. With the victory, the RedHawks wrap up the campaign with a 21-8 record, 11-5 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats finish the regular season at 13-17 overall, 6-10 in the MAC.
Miami will be the fourth seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and will receive a bye to the quarterfinals. The RedHawks will play their first game on Thursday, Mar. 8 at noon against an opponent to be determined. The full MAC bracket will be released later Tuesday.
The game was physical throughout as both teams played strong defense. Tied at six, a three-pointer from Hencke would give Miami a 9-6 lead at the 13:00 minute mark of the first half. However, Ohio would answer right back with a trey of its own to tie the score at nine. The teams traded the lead three more times before a three-pointer from senior Maggie Boyer would give the Red and White an 18-14 advantage with 6:50 to go. She would hit another three two minutes later to extend the lead to 21-16. The Bobcats would close to within two late in the half, but a layup by senior Lillian Pitts would give the RedHawks a 24-20 advantage going into the break.
Boyer led the Red and White with eight points in the first half. The defense held Ohio to only 25 percent shooting (8-for-32) during the frame.
A three-pointer from Kirsten Olowinski and layups from Hencke and Pitts would give Miami its largest lead at 32-24 with 16:14 to go. The RedHawks shots went cold as they would only score two points over the next eight minutes. The Bobcats would score 11 during that time to take a 35-34 advantage at the 8:03 mark. Two free throws from Erica Almady would end the drought and put Miami back in front, while Osborn would convert on three consecutive free throws to give the RedHawks a 39-35 lead with 6:49 remaining in the game.
After a Haley Robertson layup would give Miami a six-point cushion, an 8-0 run by Ohio made it 43-41 with 3:17 remaining. Osborn would quickly retie the score with two more free throws. The Bobcats would convert on their next three possessions, but each time Osborn was there to retie the score. Her jumper with 1:25 remaining made it 49-all.
On the next possession Ohio rushed the ball down the court, Shavon Robinson attempted to drive in for the layup, but Pitts had great position and drew the charge. Each team would miss their next shot, giving Miami the ball with 12 seconds left and time for one more play. Hencke would take the ball on the left elbow and drove to the basket hitting the running layup with 5.4 seconds remaining. The Bobcats quickly tried to drive the ball the length of the court for a tie, but their last gasp shot missed the rim.
In addition to her 14 points, Osborn finished with five rebounds, four assists and a career-high two blocks. Hencke scored 12 points. Pitts brought in a career-high 14 rebounds, while Olowinski had four blocks. Miami as a team blocked nine shots, a season-high and only one off the school single-game record of 10.
The RedHawks struggled with their shot, hitting only 34.8 percent (16-for-46) for the game. They made up for it with great defense, holding Ohio to 29.9 percent (20-for-67) shooting. Miami outrebounded the Bobcats, 42-37.
