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Jan. 30, 2002
OXFORD, Ohio-A string of heartbreaks continued Wednesday night for Miami University's women's basketball team, as the RedHawks came up short versus Mid-American Conference West Division leader Ball State University, 70-59, in Millett Hall.
A battle that featured two of the league's highest-scoring offenses started off slow, as turnovers and cold shooting dominated the earlygoing. Miami, aided by three 3-point field goals, held a 13-7 lead by the 11-minute mark, but Ball State, which hit just two of its first 15 shots from the field, rallied behind 2001 MAC Player of the Year Tamara Bowie with a 6-0 run that evened the score by the nine-minute mark.
Bowie, who tallied a game-high 10 points in the first half, helped Ball State push its lead as high as 22-16, but the RedHawks kept the score close with five first-half 3-pointers and finished the half on a 7-4 run. Leading Miami, which committed 10 turnovers in the half and shot just 31 percent from the floor, was junior Beth Roederer (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), who contributed eight points off the bench. Ball State, which hit just 32 percent from the field got seven points and four steals from Shala Crook to go with Bowie's 10 points.
Both teams came out stronger in the second half, exchanging baskets until Miami got back-to-back 3-pointers from Roederer and Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) to claim a 38-35 lead. Ball State responded with a 14-3 run that pushed its advantage to a game-high eight points. Roederer's third trey of the game ended the Ball State run, and the RedHawks commenced on a 10-3 run to knot the score at 51-51 by the six-minute mark.
A Cusick 3-pointer temporarily gave Miami the lead at 54-53, but Ball State responded with back-to-back scores and eventually built its lead to 62-56 with a Kate Endress 3-pointer at 2:55. Facing an inspired Cardinal defense, Miami quickly found itself down by nine points and trailed by double digits for the first time when Ball State's Jessica Reiter hit two free throws with 49 seconds left. Miami lost its fourth consecutive game for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
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Leading the RedHawks were three players in double figures, including Cusick with 18, Roederer with 15 and Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) with 11. Miami finished the game shooting just 33 percent from the field despite 11-of-23 3-point field goals. Ball State, which improved to 15-4 and 7-1 in the MAC, was led by 16 apiece from Bowie and Crook.
Miami, 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the MAC, returns to divisional play this weekend, when it travels to East Division rival Marshall University Saturday. The RedHawks and Thundering Herd tip off at 1 p.m.
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