Feb. 19, 2002

Stats

OXFORD, Ohio-Sparked by Kim Lancaster's (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) fifth double-double of the season, Miami University's women's basketball team won its third straight contest and guaranteed its third consecutive winning season with a 67-45 defeat of Marshall University.

In a first half defined by runs, Marshall seized an early 7-0 advantage while holding Miami without a bucket for nearly five minutes. Lancaster finally got the RedHawks on the board with a layup at 15:24, and Miami proceeded to outscore the Thundering Herd 18-2 over the next six minutes. The RedHawks pushed their lead as high as 25-11 by the 3:24 mark, but a late Marshall rally shaved the halftime advantage to 28-22.

Melanie Kozlowski (Parma, Ohio/Holy Name) led all scorers in the first half with 10 points, including two 3-point field goals. Marshall, the MAC's top rebounding team, held a 23-13 edge on the boards but was hindered by 11 turnovers and 35 percent shooting from the field. The RedHawks shot 41 percent from the floor in the half and were aided by 13 points off Herd turnovers.

Led by Lancaster, who tallied eight points in the first three minutes of the second half, Miami pushed its lead back into double digits early in the second half and led by as much as 42-24 by the 16:25 mark. Trailing by a game-high 18 points, Marshall managed to stem the flow and began steadily chipping away at Miami's lead over the next 10 minutes. The Herd could not get closer than 12 points, however, and Miami pushed its advantage to 20 for the first time with a Hillary Beck (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) 3-pointer at 5:05.

The RedHawks were led by Lancaster, who tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds for her second 20-point outing of the season. Also scoring in double figures for Miami were Kozlowski, who netted 12, Beth Roederer (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral), who tallied 11, and Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) who contributed 10 points and eight assists. Miami had a season-low 11 turnovers while forcing 21 Marshall miscues.

Marshall, which fell to 8-17 and 4-10 in the MAC, was led by Au'Yana Ferguson and Ida Dotson, who each tallied 12 points.

Miami, which improved to 15-10 and 9-5 in the MAC, concludes its regular-season home schedule Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when it hosts Ohio University in a key MAC East Division contest. The RedHawks, who already have secured home court for the first round of the MAC Tournament, conclude the regular season next Tuesday at the University at Buffalo.

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