DEKALB, Ill. – The Miami University women's basketball team (11-13, 4-8 MAC) suffered a heartbreaking 86-84 loss in overtime at Northern Illinois on Wednesday. The Huskies tied the game with five seconds remaining in regulation before sinking the game-winning basket with just 1.6 seconds left on the game clock in the extra frame.
Savannah Kluesner led all players with 28 points and 12 rebounds to record her 11
th double-double of the season to move her to a tie for fourth in program history in single-season double-doubles. Kluesner also added a career-high seven steals to her line for the game.
Lauren Dickerson and
Abbey Hoff each reached double figures with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
NIU had a 4-2 lead less than a minute into the ballgame before a 15-0 Miami run over the next 4:38 gave the RedHawks a 17-4 lead just past the midway point of the quarter. Five different players scored during the run, including seven straight from Dickerson.
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The Huskies ended their scoring drought but it was the RedHawks who responded with the next seven points on the floor as Miami's lead increased to 24-6 with 1:09 remaining in the opening quarter. NIU scored the final five points of the quarter to close the gap to 24-11 after 10 minutes of play. Miami held the Huskies without a three-pointer and won the rebounding battle 17-10 during the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Northern Illinois as the Huskies outscored the RedHawks 20-8. Kluesner had the first four points of the second quarter for Miami as the RedHawks held a 28-16 lead with 7:27 to play in the half.
NIU scored the next 11 points in the game to trim Miami's lead down to 28-27 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. The RedHawks scoring drought also lasted more than four minutes as the Huskies' drought did during the first quarter.
Northern Illinois eventually took a 31-30 lead late in the first half, the Huskies' first lead since the score was 4-2, but a basket from
Tihanna Fulton gave Miami the 32-31 lead going into the locker room.
NIU scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 38-32 lead with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter, a lead it would not relinquish until the fourth quarter.
The teams traded buckets as the RedHawks continued to trail by four midway through third-quarter action. Chelby Koker scored the next seven points on the floor as NIU jumped out to a 51-40 lead with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Miami scored the final eight points of the quarter to cut the Huskies' lead down to three, 51-48, after three quarters. The 8-0 run included a three-pointer by
Vannessa Garrelts.
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Kluesner and Dickerson scored all 10 of Miami's points in the first part of the fourth quarter as the RedHawks trailed by two points, 60-58, with 5:37 to play. Miami was faced a five-point deficit with just under four minutes to play.
Dickerson completed two three-point plays in a row to give Miami its first lead since the first quarter with less than three minutes to play.
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A pair of free throws from Kluesner gave the RedHawks a three-point cushion but a three-pointer from NIU tied the game at 69 with 2:08 to play. Miami regained the lead with a jumper from Kluesner and Hoff added a three-pointer to put the RedHawks up 74-69 with 1:05 to play.
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The Huskies cut the RedHawks' lead to one point with 10 seconds to play. Miami split a pair from the line and NIU scored the final basket of regulation with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime tied at 75.
The Huskies had the advantage early in the overtime period as they held an 83-78 lead with two minutes to play. The RedHawks responded with six of the next seven points on the floor as a three-pointer from Kluesner tied the game at 84 with 29 seconds to play.
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NIU had the last possession of the game as the RedHawks forced a miss on the Huskies' initial chance with six seconds to play but the ball bounced around a sea of players and into the Huskies' hands for the game-winning shot with 1.6 seconds left on the clock.
The RedHawks return to Oxford on Saturday to host Ohio in the 'Battle of the Bricks' on One Miami Weekend for the Love.Honor.Care game. The women's basketball game is the first of a tripleheader with men's basketball and ice hockey. President and Dr. Renate Crawford offer complimentary tickets to all community members, but the tickets must be requested by Thursday, Feb. 13 at noon.
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