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TOLEDO, Ohio – The Miami University women’s basketball team battled hard, but a tough shooting night resulted in a 62-47 loss to Toledo in the Mid-American Conference First Round tournament game on Monday. The RedHawks finish the season at 7-23. The Rockets advance to the second round in Cleveland and are now 18-12.
Miami shot 18-for-57 (31.6 percent) for the game. The ‘Hawks were strong defensively, holding Toledo to 38.3 percent (23-for-60) shooting, but the Rockets held a 50-32 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards, which made the difference.
Both teams came out struggling from the field to begin the first half. Freshman guards Baleigh Reid and Kayla Brown each hit jumpers, but Toledo built a 10-4 lead at the 11:57 mark. A three-pointer from Hannah McCue and another bucket from Reid got the RedHawk offense going again, but the Rockets pushed the advantage back to six at 15-9 with 8:10 to go in the period.
After a jumper from freshman guard Ana Richter pulled Miami to within four, Toledo went on an 11-4 run to build its largest first half lead at 26-15 with 4:05 to go. The RedHawks held strong defensively, while baskets from Brown and Richter helped Miami close to within 10 at 30-20 entering the halftime break.
The RedHawks shot 32.0 percent (8-for-25) during the first half, while the Rockets were at 34.4 percent (11-for-32). Brown led Miami with six points.
Toledo opened the second half on a 9-4 run to take a 39-24 lead with 16:31 to go. Junior forward Jessica Rupright and Brown hit layups, but the Rockets were able to maintain the advantage. Miami only hit two baskets over the next 11 minutes, allowing Toledo to build a 56-38 lead with 4:33 remaining.
Brown and senior point guard Courtney Larson hit jumpers to end the RedHawk scoring drought, but the deficit was too large to overcome. Senior guard Katy Dolesh scored an old-fashioned three-point play with 16 seconds to go to complete the scoring as the Rockets advanced with a 62-47 win.
Brown led the RedHawks with 15 points. She also had two assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 32 minutes of action. McCue scored nine for Miami, while Reid finished with seven points and a team-high six rebounds. Jay-Ann Bravo Harriott led Toledo with 17 points.
This was the final game for seniors Larson and Dolesh. Eight letterwinners return next season to join three talented newcomers and sophomore center Megan Galloway, who sat out this season after transferring from Detroit.
