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Dec. 15, 2001

Stats

OXFORD, Ohio-Led by Kim Smith (Gary, Ind./West Side) and Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name), who each contributed double-doubles, Miami University's women's basketball team kept the home fires burning Saturday afternoon in Millett Hall, defeating the University of Detroit-Mercy Titans 68-59 for its 10th straight home victory.

Though neither team appeared sharp in the first half, Detroit, which shot 54 percent from the field, claimed a 32-27 halftime lead. Miami, which never led in the half, rallied behind Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) and Day 3-point buckets to tie the game at 12-12 by the 11:55 mark.

Detroit regained the lead with an April Savalli jumper and led the remainder of the half, despite committing 13 first-half turnovers. Miami, which committed 10 miscues of its own, was led by Day, who totaled 10 points and five rebounds, and Smith, who poured in eight points. Michelle James poured in seven first-half points to lead the Titans.

The game continued along similar lines early in the second half, as Detroit maintained a lead of between two and six points, but at 10:42 Cusick brought Miami to life with a 3-pointer that gave the RedHawks their first lead of the game at 45-42. The RedHawks built their lead as high as 54-48, but Detroit rallied over the next two minutes, knotting the score at 55-55 and eventually reclaiming the lead at 59-58 with a James free throw.

Consecutive treys by Cusick and Day, who has hit her last eight 3-point attempts, over the next 1:30 put Miami back in the lead at 64-59. The RedHawk defense held the Titans without a bucket for the final 3:30 on the way to the win.

Cusick led Miami in scoring on the day, pouring in 22 points, including 5-of-9 3-point field goals. Smith, a freshman, contributed her first career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Day notched her fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 boards.

Detroit, which dropped to 4-3, was led by James' 13 and Randee Henry's 11 points and 12 rebounds. The loss ended a five-game winning streak against the Mid-American Conference for the Titans.

Miami, which improved to 5-3 and avenged last season's 23-point loss at Detroit, returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Western Kentucky in another challenging non-conference bout.