Nov. 20, 2001

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio-Led by six players in double-digits, Miami University's women's basketball team found its shooting touch and rolled to its first victory Tuesday night at Wright State University's Nutter Center, defeating the Raiders 98-73.

The Red and White, which hit its first 10 free throws, seized control right from the start, cruising to a 14-2 lead by the 15:20 mark with a balanced attack. Starting with a Jana Butler (Findlay, Ohio/Liberty-Benton) layup at 11:13, Miami embarked on a 16-0 run that extended until the 6:24 mark and increased the RedHawks' advantage to 38-8.

Led by freshman Kim Smith (Gary, Ind./West Side) and Butler, who tallied 10 apiece in the half, Miami kept the heat on the Raiders, increasing their halftime advantage to a nearly insurmountable 32 points at 55-23. Other key contributors for the RedHawks during the half were Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name), who snared a team-high six rebounds to go with six points, and Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), who dished out five assists to go with seven points.

Miami, which entered the contest shooting 33 percent from the floor, drained an impressive 54 percent of its shots in the first half, while coming one point away from matching the program record for points in a half. The RedHawks, who advanced to 1-2, drained an impressive 14-of-15 free throws in the half.

A back and forth battle ensued in the second half, with the Raiders closing to within 18 at seven-minute mark but never being able to pull any further. Miami, which finished the night shooting 50 percent from the floor, finished the game with six players in double figures. Day and Smith led the way with 13 points apiece, while Butler contributed 12 and Cusick, Roederer and Schwegmann added 11. Cusick flirted with the triple-double dishing eight assists while grabbing nine boards. Day matched Cusick with a game-high nine boards.

Miami, which played its third game in the past five days, is off for the next week and returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 28 when it travels to Valparaiso University and concludes its season-opening four-game roadstand.

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