Feb. 21, 2007
AKRON, Ohio - Despite placing four players in double figures, the Miami University women's basketball team (12-15; 6-8 MAC) was undone by a late rally from the Akron Zips (10-16; 3-11) in a 77-75 loss Wednesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips overcame an 11-point deficit with 6:10 remaining and finished the game on an 8-0 run as they handed the RedHawks only their second loss in 14 meetings at Akron.
Junior Amanda Jackson paced Miami with a game-high 28 points, while sophomores Ashley Hawkins (22 points) and Jenna Schone (10 points) and junior Jaclyn Leininger (10 points) also scored in double figures. After Miami built its biggest of lead of the night at 12 points with 6:33 remaining, Miami was held without a field goal for the rest of the game as it dropped its sixth straight road game. Miami also was hurt by a tightly called second half, as it had two key players, Schone and junior Laura Markwood, foul out in the final four minutes.
After a sluggish start, Akron jumped in front, 7-6, less than five minutes into the game as Jessie Crooks scored the Zips first five points. Jackson and Markwood accounted for Miami's first six points, but the RedHawks struggled to find their offensive rhythm as they missed nine of their first 12 shots. Akron then ripped off a 10-0 run behind 3-pointers from Crooks and Sarah Tokodi, upping its lead to 17-7 with 11:57 left in the half.
Back-to-back baskets from Schone and Hawkins, including Hawkins fastbreak layup, cut the Zips lead to 17-10 and forced Akron to burn a 30-second timeout with 10:40 remaining in the half. Miami continued to chip away at Akron's lead, as a hanging runner by Jackson and another transition layup from Hawkins brought Miami within three points at 18-15 with 7:22 left in the half.
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An 8-2 Miami run capped by Jackson's 3-pointer from the right wing gave the RedHawks a 25-23 lead with 3:53 left in the half and forced Akron to call another 30-second timeout. The two teams picked up the pace over the final four minutes, as the RedHawks and Zips combined for 22 points, with Miami taking a 36-34 lead into intermission. Though it struggled from the field in the first ten minutes of the half, Miami found its stroke midway through the first half, hitting nine of its final 15 shots and finishing the half with a 40.6 shooting percentage (13-for-32).
A strong effort in the paint gave Miami its two-point halftime lead, as the RedHawks grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and finished with a 12-0 edge on points in the paint. Jackson paced Miami with 11 first-half points while Markwood chipped in five points and seven rebounds. Crooks led Akron with 18 points and was perfect in the first half, hitting all six of her shots, including four 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.
Jackson scored Miami's first seven points of the second half and the RedHawks added baskets from Schone and Hawkins, but Akron kept pace and trailed by only four at 48-44, with 15:55 left in the game. The Zips tied the game at 50-50 with 13:34 left on Niki McCoy's old fashioned three-point play, but Jackson buried her second 3-pointer of the half, putting Miami in front 53-50 by the 12-minute mark.
A 14-7 Miami run, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jackson and Schone and seven straight points from Hawkins, gave the RedHawks a 10-point lead at 67-57 with 7:40 remaining. Miami then pushed its lead to 12 at 71-59 after a transition layup from Hawkins that was assisted by Schone textbook bounce pass with 6:33 left to play.
Seven straight points from Akron, including Tokodi's second trifecta of the half, cut Miami's lead to 71-66 with 4:50 remaining, and the Zips capped a 13-4 run with a three-point play from Jessica Danville, pulling to within 75-72 with 2:19 remaining in the game.
Akron scored four straight points off a driving layup from Tokodi and a pair of free throws from McCoy, giving the Zips their first lead of the second half at 76-75 with 1:02 left in the game. The Zips lead stood at one until there were nine seconds leftand Ashley Veal hit the second of two free throws. Jackson's runner then lipped out with two seconds remaining, sealing the win for Akron.
Miami plays its final home game of the regular season Saturday when it hosts the Kent State Golden Flashes at noon. The game is part of a men's and women's doubleheader which will be broadcast on FSN Ohio. The men's team tentatively tips off against Buffalo at 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
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