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Feb. 23, 2003
KENT, Ohio-With the Mid-American Conference East Division lead on the line and a record crowd of 3,516 packing Kent State University's M.A.C. Center, Miami University's women's basketball team rose to the occasion, rallying from a double-digit deficit in the final 10 minutes and claiming a 78-71 overtime defeat of the Golden Flashes.
Miami (14-10; 9-4 MAC) broke a tie with Kent State for the East Division lead and became the first MAC East team to win in the M.A.C. Center since the league went to divisional play in 1997-98, ending a 27-winning streak for the Flashes.
Kent State came out quickly, scoring on its first four possessions and grabbing an 8-5 advantage out of the gates. Ignited by seven points from Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), Miami turned the tables, grabbing a 9-8 lead by the 16-minute mark and protecting a narrow advantage over the next eight minutes.
The Golden Flashes turned the momentum back in their favor with a Katalin Kollat 3-point field goal at 8:29. Miami's Melanie Kozlowski (Parma, Ohio/Holy Name) retaliated with a 3-point field goal of her own that knotted the score at 22-22, but Kent State erupted on a 12-0 run from there, pushing its advantage as high as 34-22 with under four minutes to play. Nicki Motto (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) drained back-to-back 3-pointers for Miami just before the half to reduce the Flashes' halftime edge to 38-32.
Miami, which was outshot by 10 percent in the half, hit five 3-point field goals to offset some of Kent State's 48 percent shooting and was led by Cusick's nine points. Kollat led the Golden Flashes, who also held a 21-15 edge on the boards, with 11 points and five rebounds.
Neither team could hit a field goal out of the gates, but Miami closed to within two points after a quartet of free throws. From there, the Golden Flashes got their offense back on track and pulled out to a 49-42 advantage by 15:08. Kent State continued to pound the ball inside, earning its way into the free throw bonus by 14:04 and building a double-digit edge, 55-45, by 12:03.
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Following a media timeout at 11:34, Kim Smith (Gary, Ind./West Side) sparked Miami by forcing Kent State into three consecutive turnovers while the RedHawks reduced the gap to 55-49. The Flashes quickly put an end to Miami's rally, but with 5:08 to play Miami was on the move again, closing to within 64-59. A Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) three-point play brought Miami to within four points with 4:40 to play, and, aided by six straight free throws, the RedHawks were down just 69-67 with 1:36 on the clock.
Miami knotted the score on its next possession as Cusick threaded a brilliant pass to Jana Butler (Findlay, Ohio/Liberty-Benton), who banked in the game-tying layup with under a minute to go. Cusick took a charge on Kent State's next possession, but a Kozlowski jumper with under three seconds went long and the RedHawks were headed to their record fifth overtime of the season.
Cusick paced Miami with 23 points and six assists, while Day added 14 points before fouling out in overtime. Cindi Merrill (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) rounded out Miami's double digit scorers with 10 points. Kollat led the Flashes with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
In the overtime period, Valerie Zona and Kent State struck first with a 17-foot jumper that ended a more than six-minute scoring drought for the Flashes. It was Cusick's game from there, as the senior drained two 3-point field goals, including a 24-footer with 22 seconds to play that pushed Miami ahead 75-71. Cusick and Merrill combined to drain three free throws in the final 20 seconds to lift Miami to their first win in the M.A.C. Center since 1993.
Miami returns home Wednesday to tip off a season-ending three-game homestand versus the arch-rival Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. The RedHawks own a six-game winning streak over the Bobcats but narrowly escaped a Jan. 14 date in which it took overtime to snag an 80-78 overtime win.
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