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OXFORD, Ohio -- The Miami University women's basketball team used a spirited effort and a lot of heart as it led Akron throughout Wednesday evening's contest in Oxford. After falling behind in the fourth quarter, the RedHawks did not give up as they forced overtime. Unfortunately they fell just short as the Zips came away with a 65-62 victory. Miami is now 9-17 overall and 3-12 in the Mid-American Conference. Akron is 14-12 overall and 8-7 in the MAC.

Trailing 56-51 with 31 seconds to go, sophomore guard Ana Richter hit a layup and was fouled. She calmly drained the free throw to pull the `Hawks to within two. Miami fouled Akron on the ensuing possession. The Zips hit 1-of-2 at the line to go in front by three. Freshman point guard Leah Purvis made sure the game would continue when she stepped back and knocked in the tying three with 14 seconds to go.

The game itself saw great performances from sophomore guard Kayla Brown and freshman guard Morgan Horvath. Brown was on the court for 43 of the 45 minutes and finished with a team-high 15 points. She also brought in seven rebounds. Horvath scored a career-high 10 points and brought in four rebounds in 26 minutes of action.

Freshman guard Kendall McCoy drained her first two shots to give Miami a quick 5-0 advantage. The RedHawks were making their three-pointers early as Purvis and Horvath each hit one to put them in front 11-9 with 5:13 to go in the first quarter. Horvath and Brown each had layups to help Miami open up an 18-13 advantage at the end of the frame.

The RedHawks offense went cold to begin the second quarter, allowing the Zips to go on a 6-0 run to take a 19-18 lead. A layup from Horvath put Miami back on top again as it would hold Akron to only three more points the remainder of the period. Brown hit four free throws and finished it off with a jumper to give the `Hawks a 27-22 advantage heading into the break.

Brown led Miami with nine points in the first half, while Horvath had eight. The RedHawks shot 37.5 percent (9-for-24), while holding the Zips to 25.9 percent (7-for-27) shooting.

A layup from sophomore forward Molly McDonagh and jumpers from Purvis and McCoy helped extend the Miami lead to seven at 33-26 to begin the third quarter. Akron closed to within two before a key Brown layup got the RedHawks offense going again. The Zips answered with a three-pointer, but a jumper by Richter along with four free throws at the end of the period sent Miami into the fourth quarter with a 45-41 advantage.

A layup by Horvath and a jumper from Richter allowed the Red and White to play even with Akron to begin the final quarter and take a 49-45 lead with 6:16 to go. Unfortunately Miami's shot went cold and it was unable to score over the next five minutes. McDonagh broke the drought with 1:07 remaining by hitting two free throws. Akron answered with a layup that made it 56-51 with 45 seconds left and set the RedHawks up for their 6-1 closing run that forced overtime.

It was a deliberate pace to start the extra period as the score was tied at 59 with 2:55 remaining. The Zips' Hannah Plybon drained a key three-pointer that would put Akron in front for good at the 2:36 mark. McDonagh hit a free throw, but the Zips built the lead to 64-60 with 22 seconds to go. On Miami's next possession, Brown drained a jumper to close the deficit to two at the 14 second mark. Akron answered with a free throw that made it 65-62 and gave the `Hawks a chance to tie. Unfortunately MU's shot was just long and bounced off the rim, giving the Zips the win.

It was an overall balanced offensive performance for the RedHawks. McDonagh and McCoy each scored nine, Purvis had eight while Richter finished with seven. In addition, McDonagh had a team-high 12 rebounds. Miami shot 37.5 percent (21-for-56) for the game and held Akron to a 20-for-59 (33.9 percent) shooting performance. The Zips were led by Anita Brown with 16 points.

The RedHawks return to action when they travel to Bowling Green on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip. The game will air live on BCSN, as well as ESPN3.