Feb. 25, 2004
OXFORD, Ohio-With a 75-65 defeat of Ball State University and an Ohio University defeat of Eastern Michigan University, Miami University's women's basketball team clinched its first Mid-American Conference Championship since 1990. The RedHawks' 11th straight win lifted them to 19-6 overall and 13-1 in the MAC.
The RedHawks, led by Amanda Jackson (Springfield, Ohio/South), jumped in front early and grabbed a 14-5 edge by the 15:06 mark. Jackson tallied six of Miami's first 12 points but would not score again in the half. Miami, aided by 15 first-half Cardinal turnovers, held its nine-point edge until the 8:59 mark when the Cardinals began to turn the tables.
Powered by a 15-4 rally, Ball State earned its first lead of the game at 25-24 and would extend the advantage to 26-24 at 2:34 when Kate Endress tallied her 13th point of the half from the free throw line. Miami finished strong, scoring the last four points of the half and taking a narrow 28-26 edge into the locker room. The teams combined for 25 turnovers and shot a combined 32.2 percent from the floor in an often sloppy first half of play.
The wild and sometimes out-of-control contest continued early in the second half and the score was knotted at 34-34 with 15:32 remaining. Coming out of the timeout, the Cardinals' Johna Goff knocked down a trey as Ball State's lead climbed to as high as four points. Cindi Merrill (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), doing most of her damage from the free thow line, single-handedly brought Miami back and, after a Jackson trey, the RedHawks led 41-37 with under 12 minutes to play.
Miami continued to lead over the next four minutes but could not expand its lead past four, as the Cardinals matched every RedHawk bucket. Patience and a Merrill 3-pointer finally got Miami over the hump and with under seven minutes to play, Kim Lancaster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) scored in the paint to spot Miami and eight-point edge. The Cardinals were far from done, however, and after a rash of RedHawk turnovers they were back within striking distance at 58-54 with 5:03 to play.
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The RedHawks regained control in the final five minutes and a Jackson layup with 2:47 to play expanded Miami's lead to double digits for the first time at 66-56. Ball State would not get any closer than seven the remainder of the night, as Miami ended a three-game drought versus the Cardinals.
Merrill led the RedHawks with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Jackson contributed 17 points.
Miami continues its regular-season ending three-game homestand Saturday afternoon when it hosts the University at Buffalo at 2 p.m. during the first half of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader. The RedHawks conclude the regular season on March 2 when they host Kent State University.
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