Nov. 14, 2002

Box Score

OXFORD, Ohio-In their first and last exhibition test of the 2002-03 preseason, Miami University's women's basketball team demonstrated occasional flashes of brilliance while shaking off the rust, defeating the Ohio Girls Basketball Magazine (OGBM) Legends, 93-69.

Following a sluggish start, Miami trailed 10-3, but freshman Cindi Merrill (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) tallied a pair of layups and junior Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) hit her second 3-point field goal to knot the score at 10-10. Sophomore Kim Smith (Gary, Ind./West Side) gave Miami its first lead moments later when she scored a layup of her own.

After a pair of five-point runs by the Legends and RedHawks, respectively, and a short period of back-and-forth play, Miami began to seize control and grabbed its first double-digit lead at 38-27 when Merrill buried a pair of free throws. The RedHawks led 38-30 at the half, led by nine points apiece from Merrill and junior Kim Lancaster (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton), who knocked down seven-of-eight free throws in the first half.

The Legends mounted a brief rally in the second half, closing the margin to 38-36, but senior Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) buried a pair of treys on consecutive possessions, pushing Miami's lead to 45-39. The RedHawks pressed their lead into double digits by the 14-minute mark and continued to strengthen their hold, increasing their advantage to more than 20 by the 7:28 mark.

Following a timeout, the Legends corrected their course and began chipping away at the RedHawk lead, closing to within 11 with just over three minutes to plays. A flurry of Miami steals finally stalled the Legends' momentum, and Miami cruised to the finish line to pick up their first win over the Legends in three previous meetings.

The RedHawks put forth a dominant defensive effort on the night, making 30 steals and forcing a total of 38 turnovers. Leading the Miami effort, were five players in double figures. Lancaster tallied 16 points and eight steals, while senior Jana Butler (Findlay, Ohio/Liberty-Benton) contributed 15 points and seven steals and Cusick added 14 points, nine assists and five steals. Rounding out Miami's leading scorers were Day with 13 points and five steals and Merrill with 12 points and five assists.

The RedHawks open the 2002-03 regular season next weekend when they travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Spartan Chevrolet Classic. Miami battles Valparaiso in the first game of the Classic at 4 p.m. Saturday and faces the winner of Michigan State and Fresno State Sunday afternoon.

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