Feb. 28, 2006
OXFORD, Ohio - Charged with the daunting task of slowing a nationally-ranked Bowling Green State University team riding a 15-game winning streak and attempting to run the table in Mid-American Conference play, Miami University's women's basketball team fought valiantly but could not overcome a 28-point second half deficit, falling 71-59 to the No. 24 Falcons in both teams' regular-season finale.
Miami stumbled out of the gates, missing its first six shots while Bowling Green charged out to an 8-2 edge. A Cindi Merrill jumper at 16:29 got Miami on the board, and the senior followed with a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the gap to 10-5 by the first media timeout at 15:31. The RedHawks, who scored on four straight possessions, rallied as close as four but could not sustain the momentum. BGSU pushed the edge to eight after a steal and a layup and would force a timeout at 7:43 after another fastbreak layup that pushed the score to 26-13.
With the Falcons rolling and its own offense mired in another slump, Miami battled to stay in the game. After trailing by as many as 15 with under five minutes to play, Miami closed back within 12 after one of two first-half Jenna Schone 3-point field goals. The teams would go back-and-forth briefly, but BGSU, which shot 47.2 percent from the field in the half, led 40-26 after 20 minutes.
Bowling Green scored the first four points of the second half, but Schone responded with a 3-pointer to spark a 5-0 RedHawk surge and bring Miami back down from a game-high 18-point deficit. In an instant Miami's work was undone, as BGSU's Megan Thorburn knocked down a pair of devastating 3-pointers, forcing a timeout with Miami trailing 50-31 at 16:41. Miami's hopes unraveled from there, as the Falcons, who continued to click offensively, pressed their advantage over 20 points by the 14-minute mark and began to coast.
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The lead would peak at 28 points by the seven-minute mark, but six unanswered points from Merrill, who played her last game in Millett Hall, helped revive the sagging RedHawks. Behind a 14-0 run that forced two BGSU timeouts, Miami rallied back within 16, after back-to-back Katie Guerriero scores, with under four minutes to play. The Falcons would halt the run, but Miami continued to attack and rally as close as 10 in the final minute.
Miami was paced by Schone and Merrill, who poured in 13 and 11 points, respectively. Merrill, who also snagged her 500th career rebound on the night, became the first guard in program history to surpass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Miami finished the night at 31.7 percent from the field but forced 19 BGSU turnovers.
Bowling Green, which won the outright MAC Championship for the second straight year, was led by Ali Mann with 27 points. The Falcons, who improved to 25-2 overall and 16-0 in the MAC, are the first team since 1997-98 to complete a perfect MAC Season.
The RedHawks (8-19; 3-13 MAC), who will be seeded fifth from the MAC East, begin MAC Tournament play on the road Saturday when they travel to either Northern Illinois University or Central Michigan University. A win by the Chippewas over Eastern Michigan Wednesday night would send Miami to Mt. Pleasant, while a loss would send the RedHawks to DeKalb.
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