Feb. 5, 2002

Box Score

TOLEDO, Ohio--A strong defensive effort could not overcome abysmal shooting by Miami University's women's basketball team, as the RedHawks tumbled 57-43 to the University of Toledo. The loss was Miami's 13th in a row to the Rockets and dropped the Red and White to 12-10 and 6-5 in the MAC.

Despite a season-low 14 first-half points, Miami, bolstered by a strong defensive effort, found itself trailing just 22-14 at the half. Toledo roared out of the gates to stake a 9-0 lead by the 15-minute mark, but Miami rallied behind six straight points from Kim Lancaster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) to cut the gap to 11-6 over the next three minutes. The RedHawks would get no closer in the half, but offset their own cold shooting by holding the Rockets to just one field goal in the final 10 minutes.

Miami shot just 25 percent from the field and turned the ball over 12 times in a sloppy first half, while Toledo was not much better, shooting 32 percent from the floor and committing 13 turnovers. Lancaster led all scorers in the half, pouring in eight points. No Toledo player netted more than five points in the half.

Toledo scored the first five points of the second half and was never seriously threatened again. The RedHawks trailed 42-29 at the seven-minute mark, but Toledo tallied a Tia Davis basket to up its lead to 15 and a Courtney Risinger 3-pointer seconds later that effectively killed the RedHawk hopes. Miami was held without a field goal for more than nine minutes and needed a late 8-0 run to shave the final margin to 13 points.

The RedHawks, who finished the contest with their lowest point total of the season, finished the game shooting just 30 percent from the floor and a catastrophic 1-of-20 from 3-point range. Leading Miami was Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), who netted 14 points but was just 1-of-10 from 3-point range. Lancaster finished the game with 10 points and six rebounds. Toledo, which hit 56 percent of its shots in the second half, was led by Davis and Melantha Herron, who each poured in 13 points. Herron also snagged 10 rebounds.

Miami returns home this Saturday to host Bowling Green State University in the first half of a Miami women's and men's basketball doubleheader. Tipoff in Millett Hall is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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