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Jan. 19, 2002
OXFORD, Ohio-Everything that worked during Miami University's five-game winning streak faltered Saturday afternoon in Mid-American Conference women's basketball action, as a physical Northern Illinois University team roughed up the RedHawks, 74-61, on their own floor.
Powered by a strong inside game and the outside shooting of Kristen Knake, Northern Illinois jumped on Miami early and raced to a 13-3 advantage by the 14:14 mark. Miami was out-rebounded 10-2 during the first six minutes and was unable to get anything going in the paint. Knake who finished the first-half with 20 points off 8-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc, pushed the Huskie lead as high as 36-19 with her fourth 3-pointer at 1:22.
Miami, sparked by Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), created some momentum in the final minute when Cusick hit consecutive 3-point buckets to close the halftime score to 36-26. The RedHawks, who were shooting 52 percent from the field over their first five league contests, hit just 9-of-28 first-half shots for 32 percent. Northern Illinois overcame 12 first-half turnovers by shooting 64 percent from the floor and dominating the boards by an 18-9 margin.
After a slow start for both teams over the first three minutes of the second half, Northern Illinois took off on a 9-2 run to push its lead back to 17 points by the 16-minute mark. The Huskies pushed the lead to 20 points by the 13:30 mark and continued to shut down the struggling RedHawk offense until the seven-minute mark. Aided by three Melanie Kozlowski (Parma, Ohio/Holy Name) 3-pointers and a number of defensive stops, Miami closed to 60-51 by the two-minute mark.
The Huskies converted on the next possession to push the lead back into double digits and hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the win despite a late barrage of Cusick 3-pointers. For the game, Miami shot just 31 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 39-26. Northern Illinois, which hit 6-of-9 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor and ended Miami's 10-game home winning streak versus the MAC. Knake netted a game-high 27 points, including 5-of-7 treys.
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The RedHawks, who dropped to 11-6 and 5-1 in the MAC, were led by Cusick's 23 points. Kozlowski added 11 points, including 3-of-4 3-point field goals.
Miami returns to action next Wednesday when it travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., to face an Eastern Michigan University team it has not played in the regular season since 1999.
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