RedHawks vs. Bobcats: MAC Semifinals

ON TAP: Miami squares off with Ohio on Friday, March 13 in the Mid-American Conference semifinals. Opening tip is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will be Miami's first trip to the semis since 2019.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Amber Tretter has 29 double-doubles (third-best in program history) in her career and is a near walking double-double in points (14.2) and rebounds (8.0) this season. She is on pace to become just the second RedHawk in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds and has scored 1,102 career points, which ranks 22nd in program history. She has scored in double figures in 25 of 32 games this season.

BALANCED SCORING: Miami has four players averaging double-digits, led by Amber Tretter (14.2 ppg.). She is joined by Amber Scalia (13.4 ppg.), Ilse de Vries (12.6 ppg.) and Tamar Singer (11.1 ppg.). Tretter has led the team in scoring nine times, while Singer has done it seven times. Scalia and de Vries have done it six times apiece.

BY THE MARGINS: Miami is currently third in the MAC in scoring (70.8) and first in defense (58.7), which results in a 12.1 point margin of victory, second-best in the conference. The RedHawks are second in the MAC in field goal percentage (44.7%), three-point percentage (34.8%) and free throw percentage (75.7%). Miami is first in turnover margin (4.9) and second in blocked shots (3.8).

SEASON RECAP: Miami captured its first regular season championship since the 2003-04 season, and are 26-6 overall and 16-2 in MAC play, but those are not the only highlights this season.
• The 26 wins are the most in program history, while the 16 conference wins are second-best.
• Miami opened conference play 11-0, the best start in program history.
• Miami had a 13-game win streak from Dec. 20-Feb. 10, the second-best win streak in school history (best is 14).
• 20 of their 26 wins are by double digits.
• Three of Miami's six loses are by two possessions or less.

POSTSEASON AWARDS: Miami took home six post-season awards on Tuesday morning. Glenn Box was named MAC Coach of the Year (first Miami CoY since 2004). Amber Tretter (first team), Tamar Singer (third team) and Ilse de Vries (third team) earned All-MAC accolades and Singer and de Vries added spots on the All-MAC Defensive Team.

ABOUT OHIO: The Bobcats are 18-12 overall and finished conference play at 11-7. Bailey Tabeling leads the way at 14.8 points/game, while Bella Ranallo averages 11.2 points/game.

ROUND THREE WITH THE BOBCATS: Friday will be the rubber match in the Battle of the Bricks. The RedHawks downed Ohio Jan. 31 (90-70), but Ohio closed the regular season with a 77-62 victory back on March 7. Miami connected on 17 three pointers back on Jan. 31, while the Bobcats were 13-of-28 from long distance on March 7.

SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 106th meeting between the two programs, with Miami holding a 64-41 all-time series advantage. Ohio snapped a four game losing streak to the RedHawks back on March 7 and Miami is 2-1 all-time versus Ohio in Cleveland. These two teams last competed in the conference tournament back on March 15, 2019, a contest Ohio won 74-48.

COMBINING FORCES: Miami basketball has reached heights not seen in a long time in Oxford, Ohio. Combined with the women's 26-6 record and the men's 31-1 record, Miami basketball is 57-7 overall in 2025-26. The 57 combined wins are second-most in the nation, behind UConn (61).

PROGRAM BUILDER: While some may be shocked to see Miami's 26-6 record, since Coach Box's arrival, the RedHawks have seen improvement each year. In his first year the RedHawks went 9-20 (6-12 MAC) and followed that up with a 19-12 (11-7 MAC) record, the second-best single-season turnaround in program history. This season the RedHawks captured their first regular season championship since the 2003-04 campaign ... not bad for a team that was picked seventh in the preseason poll.

LONG RANGE BOMBERS: Miami ranks 23rd nationally, connecting on 8.5 three-pointers per contest. The RedHawks have made double-digit three-pointers 10 times this season, including a program record 17 in the win over Ohio back on Jan. 31. Eight different RedHawks shoot at least 33.3% from distance and as a team, Miami ranks 30th nationally in three point percentage (34.8%). Miami has also made 271 triples this season, a new program best (previous high was 233 during the 2007-08 season).

BENCH PRESS: Over the past five games Miami's bench has exploded for 82 points. The RedHawks posted 16 bench points in the win over Eastern Michigan, added 18 points against Akron, 14 in the win versus the Golden Flashes, 27 at Ohio and seven versus KSU in the MAC Quarterfinals. The three games prior, Miami's bench combined for 10 total points (3.3/game).

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Coach Box has preached defense since the day he has arrived on campus and this year is no different.
• RedHawks rank 45th in the country, allowing 58.7 points per contest.
• The RedHawks held 17-of-18 MAC opponents under their season scoring average during the regular season.
• Miami is holding opponents to 38.3% shooting for the season.
• Miami is 27th nationally in turnovers forced per game (20.3).
• Are 32nd in the country in steals per game (10.8).
• Miami is forcing 20.7 turnovers per game in MAC play.

HOME SWEET HOME: For the first time in program history, Miami women's basketball went undefeated at home for the entire season (14-0).

NEW, BUT NOT YOUNG: Despite eight new players on the roster, the RedHawks feature an experienced squad. Overall, the 12 players have combined to play in 797 games and make 401 starts. They have also combined to score in double figures 224 times.

SINGING HER PRAISES: Tamar Singer, one of the best freshman in the MAC a year ago, has taken her game to another level in 2025-26. Last season she averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 assists per game while running the point. This year she is averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 assists, which ranks fourth nationally. She has surpassed 20 points four times this season (none last year) and has led the team in scoring seven times in 2025-26 (once all of last year).

PASSING RECORDS: Tamar Singer has 228 assists this season (11th-best in MAC history), which is a single season record for the RedHawks. She has posted 12 assists in a game twice (school record is 13) and is currently on pace to finish her sophomore campaign with 351 career assists (school record is 596 assists).

DE VRIES PLAYS OVERSEAS: This summer, sophomore Ilse de Vries represented the Netherlands as a member of the U20 National Team at the annual FIBA U20 EuroBasket League. In seven games, she averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. This season de Vries is averaging career bests in points, rebounds and assists. She has already posted 20 double-digit scoring contests after just three in 2024-25 and was named MAC Player of the Week on Jan. 27. She also leads the MAC in blocks/game (1.9).

124 AND COUNTING: Amber Scalia will be competing in her 124th career game on Thursday. Prior to joining the RedHawks, Scalia played in 91 games over three years at St. Thomas, where she scored 1,091 points and shot 34% from long distance. She has scored 1,534 points (12.5/game), connected on 204 three pointers and is a career 40% shooter from the field over her career. Her 1,534 points ranks 129th among active scorers in the country.

THE FIFTH DIMENSION: Much has been made about Miami's balanced scoring, with four starters averaging in double figures, but let's not forget about Núria Jurjo. Jurjo made 50% (27-54) of her three-point attempts in conference play and added eight points and five rebounds versus Kent State on Wednesday.

Miami Ohio University Athletics

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