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Jan. 6, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

OXFORD, Ohio - It’s Mid-American Conference season time as Miami travels to Akron to open conference play against the Zips on Wednesday at 7 p.m. As with every game this season you can hear all the action on the Miami Sports Network by clicking on this link.. Bill Douglas will have the call.

MAC OPENERS: Miami is 16-11 all-time in its opening MAC game. That includes a 9-2 record in games away from Millett Hall. This is the first time since the 2004-05 season that the RedHawks have not opened the conference season against Buffalo, Miami was 1-2 against the Bulls the last three years with each team winning on the road. This will be the sixth time the RedHawks have opened conference play against Akron. Miami is 5-1 all-time in conference openers against the Zips, including a perfect 2-0 record in Akron. The teams last met in a conference opener during the 2002-03 season, an 84-56 RedHawk win in Oxford.

GETTING BACK TO WINNING: For the first time this year, Miami is facing true adversity as it is coming off its first two-game losing streak of the season. With the next five games against MAC East opponents, how the RedHawks respond will go a long way in determining the success they have. Last season, Miami had two, two-game losing streaks, but each time responded by winning the majority of the following games.

LAST GAME: Miami University dropped its final non-conference game of the regular season Saturday when it fell 80-55 to Kentucky at Millett Hall. Jenna Schone led the RedHawks with 17 points. Miami falls to 8-5 on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 10-5.

Trailing 10-3 early in the first half, Courtney Reed found Schone for a backdoor layup and foul to complete the three-point play. Schone hit a couple more jumpers including a three-pointer to pull the RedHawks within three at 18-15 with 10:55 remaining.

A 22-12 run over the next eight minutes pushed the Kentucky lead to 40-27. Reed hit back-to-back shots to pull the RedHawks within nine, and after the Wildcats scored the next five to go up 14, she hit a three-pointer and a free throw to send Miami into the break trailing 45-35.

Both teams shot well during the half, Kentucky 53 percent of its shots (18-for-34), while the RedHawks hit 46 percent (11-for-24). Points in the paint were the big difference during the period as the Wildcats outscored Miami 28-14. Schone recorded 14 points during the half.

Kentucky opened the second half on an 11-2 run to take a 56-37 lead. Briana Dunlap hit a jumper , and followed it three-pointer to help spark a 13-4 Miami run to pull within 10 at 60-50 with 7:02 remaining. It was the closest the RedHawks would be able to get as they would score only five points the rest of the way and the Wildcats were able to put the game away.

In addition to Schone’s 17, Reed was also in double figures with 14 points. Kentucky was led by Victoria Dunlap with 20. The Wildcats shot 53 percent for the game (32-for-60) and outrebounded the RedHawks 46-28.

ABOUT AKRON: Akron finished the non-conference season with a 5-8 record. The Zips have won their last two games, defeating Sam Houston State on the road 61-60 on Dec. 31, before returning home and beating Lehigh 67-59 on Jan. 4. Akron is led by preseason All-MAC East selection Kara Murphy. She averages 18.5 points per game. No other player on the Zips averages in double figures. Freshman center Kyle Baumgartner is the team’s second leading scorer with 8.5 points per game and also leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY: Miami holds a 27-5 all-time series record against the Zips, including a 13-2 series lead in Akron. The RedHawks won both meetings with Akron last season, defeating the Zips 63-49 in Oxford on Jan. 16, 2008, and then winning 89-79 in Akron on Mar. 1, 2008. In that second game, Jenna Schone scored 29 points and became the 18th RedHawk to cross the 1,000 point barrier.

UP NEXT FOR THE REDHAWKS: Miami returns home to face Kent State on Saturday, Jan. 10. The game will be broadcast live on ONN and is part of a doubleheader that will feature the men against Akron at 4 p.m., also on ONN.