Dec. 21, 2002

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky.- What started off as a dream performance by the Miami women's basketball team ended in a nightmare Saturday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., where the Kentucky Wildcats rallied from an 18-point deficit in the last 14 minutes of regulation and recorded a 108-102 overtime victory over the RedHawks.

After spotting Kentucky a 5-0 lead to start the contest, Miami got behind junior forward Colleen Day, who netted seven of the RedHawks' next nine points, and claimed its first lead at 13-11 after a pair of Jana Butler free throws at 14:17. Tied 20-20 at the 10:45 mark, the Red and White took charge with a 14-5 run in which six different RedHawks scored.

A Melanie Kozlowski 3-point field goal at 4:03 pressed Miami's advantage into double digits at 45-32 and the RedHawks took a 53-41 advantage into the half. Day led a cast of three RedHawks in double figures with 13 points, while Cindi Merrill poured in 11 points and Butler added 10. Miami shot 51 percent from the field in the half and forced 17 Wildcat turnovers.

Miami continued to assert a balanced inside attack in the second half, surging to a game-high 68-50 lead behind a combined 10 points from Butler and Day. Kentucky was not finished, rallying over the next five minutes and pulling to within 73-66 on a Jenny Pfeiffer trey with 8:39 to play.

Heather Cusick, who sat out most of the first half in foul trouble, responded with six of Miami's next 11 points-her first six points of the game, helping the RedHawks to an 84-73 lead with 3:47 remaining, but Sara Potts and Rita Adams led the Wildcats on a furious rally over the the next three minutes combining for 16 Wildcat points and knotting the score on an Adams trey with 48 seconds to play. Kentucky took its first lead of the game on a pair of Potts free throws with 32 seconds to play, but Miami sent the game into overtime with a Butler shot with 12 seconds to play.

The Red and White climbed out to an early three-point lead in overtime, but, once again, Kentucky had an answer, and took the lead at 99-98 off an Adams three-point play. The RedHawks, who fouled out four players in the overtime period, took the lead for the last time with a Cusick jumper at 100-99, but Kentucky scored the next four points and would never trail again. Kentucky's 108 points were the most ever given up by the Red and White.

Miami was led by Day, who netted 22 points, and Butler, who finished with 20. Also tallying in double digits were Cusick with 16, Merrill with 13 and Kim Lancaster 10. Kentucky, which shot 57 percent for the game-including 11-of-14 3-point field goals-was led by Adams' 29 points.

The RedHawk are off for the next week to celebrate the Christmas holiday and return to action on Dec. 28 when they travel to Butler University. Miami returns home on Dec. 30 when it hosts Clemson in the first game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader that begins at 6 p.m.