Jan. 7, 2003

Final Stats

OXFORD, Ohio-Miami University's women's basketball team ended a two-game losing streak and notched its first Mid-American Conference victory Tuesday night in Millett Hall, rolling to an 84-56 win over the University of Akron (1-11; 0-1 MAC).

In control from the start, the RedHawks (6-6; 1-0 MAC) held Akron without a field goal for the first six minutes of the game and built a 12-2 advantage by the 14-minute mark. Miami continued to build on its advantage throughout the half, racing to 24-8 edge following a Cindi Merrill (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) layup with six minutes to play and leading by as many as 31-10 after a Nicki Motto (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) 3-pointer at the five-minute mark.

Akron forged a small rally at the end of the half to narrow Miami's halftime edge to 39-22. Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) led the Miami attack in the first half, pouring in nine points while grabbing five rebounds. The RedHawks shot a balmy 52 percent from the field while restricting the Zips to 25 percent shooting.

Miami got off to a quick start in the second half, scoring the first nine points and forcing Akron to call a timeout after falling behind 48-22 with 17:22 to play. The Zips closed the gap to 21 points within two minutes, but the RedHawks quickly recovered and continued to steadily pull away, taking their first 30-point lead with a Motto jumper at 10:39.

The Zips once again chipped away at Miami's lead, narrowing the deficit to 24 points with less than six minutes to play, but they would get no closer. Despite cooling to 47 percent shooting in the second half, Miami got 28 points off 24 Zip turnovers.

Pacing the RedHawks were four players in double figures, led by Day's 16 points and eight boards. Merrill added a career-high 15 points and six boards, while Beth Roederer (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) added 13 points off 4-of-5 shooting from the field and Motto contributed 11 points.

The RedHawks return to action Saturday when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., and face the Western Michigan Broncos in a rematch of last season's MAC Quarterfinal. Miami is seeking its first win at Kalamazoo since 1997.

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