Jan. 23, 2003
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REDHAWKS TRAVEL TO BUFFALO FOR ANOTHER KEY DIVISIONAL GAME: In the hunt for its first back-to-back wins since November, Miami University's women's basketball team (8-8; 3-2 MAC) concludes an important week of Mid-American Conference East Division play Saturday when it travels to the University at Buffalo for a 7 p.m. tip.
Buffalo (9-6; 1-3 MAC), which entered the month of January with the best overall record in the MAC (7-1), has posted a 2-5 record since New Year's Day and has gotten off to a sluggish 1-3 start in league play. Despite their struggles, the Bulls have shown signs of life over the past week, earning consecutive wins over Eastern Michigan (71-65; Jan. 15) and Cornell (61-35; Jan. 20) before suffering a 71-56 loss at Toledo Wednesday night. The Bulls own one of the most imposing defenses in the MAC and currently lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.387) while allowing just 63.7 ppg.
Coached by fifth-year mentor Cheryl Dozier, Buffalo is led this season by senior guard Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe, who is averaging 13.7 points and 4.0 assists an outing. Junior forward Jessica Kochendorfer, a preseason all-MAC selection, is contributing 10.1 points and a team-high 8.1 boards per game, while sophomore guard Erin Lawrenson, the team's top 3-point threat, is averaging 8.9 ppg.
The Bulls are third in the league in field goal percentage, sinking 45 percent of their field goal attempts. Buffalo is 4-2 at home this season with its only losses coming to Colorado and Ball State.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday marks the sixth meeting between the RedHawks and Bulls in a series that began with an 87-81 Buffalo overtime win during the 1998-99 campaign. Miami, which swept the Bulls in a home-and-home series a year ago, leads the series by a narrow 3-2 margin but has picked up two of its three series victories on the Bulls' home court, where the RedHawks lead 2-1 and have won the last two meetings. Miami's 80-65 win at Buffalo on Feb. 26 of last season-the teams' last meeting-was the biggest win in terms of point differential since the series started.
THE LAST MEETING-Miami 80, Buffalo 65 (Feb. 26, 2002): Miami shook off a tough first half with a stellar second-half effort, knocking off Buffalo, 80-65, in both teams' 2001-02 season finale. Buffalo, which shot a smoldering 59 percent in the first half and drained 10-of-20 treys for the game, went on a 17-5 run midway through the first half to build a nine-point lead, but Heather Cusick scored seven unanswered points to help Miami close within two points at the half. The teams exchanged the lead early in the second half, but an 11-3 RedHawk run with ten minutes to play finally swung the momentum in Miami's favor. Cusick and Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe each tallied 22 points to lead their respective teams.
A TALE OF TWO DIVISIONS: Entering her fifth MAC season, Maria Fantanarosa is working to build upon a 40-29 (.580) league record. Miami has risen to the occasion in divisional play over the past four years, posting a 32-10 (.762) record. Overall, Miami has turned away 20 of its last 21 MAC East opponents during the regular season, including a current eight-game winning streak.
Despite their success versus the East, Fantanarosa's RedHawks have not fared as well when heading West. Miami has gone just 8-19 (.296) versus MAC West opponents over the past five seasons and has lost 11 of its last 12 MAC West road games.
ROADHAWKS: The road has not been a friendly place this season for Miami, which has lost five of its last eight road tilts. After a win at Michigan State during its opening weekend, the Red and White dropped five of its next six road games, including its worst losses of the season at TCU and Western Michigan. More recently, however, Miami has reeled off consecutive wins at Ohio and Marshall. Miami, which plays 16 of its 27 games this season on the road, owns a 4-5 road record this season. Last season, Miami assembled an 8-7 record on the road-its first winning road mark since 1992-93.
LOOKING BACK-Miami 72, Marshall 53 (Jan. 20, 2003): Playing its second game in three days, Miami bounced back from an emotional loss to Toledo with a sound 73-52 MAC East Division win at Marshall. The RedHawks seized the early initiative, building a 25-9 advantage out of the gates, but a feisty Marshall squad scrapped its way back into the game with a 12-2 run and closed the halftime margin to just five points. The Thundering Herd continued to chip away early in the second half, closing to within one point on two separate occasions, but could never capture the lead. Heather Cusick, scored eight of 11 Miami points during a critical run that pushed Miami's advantage back into double digits and sent the RedHawks on the way to their 11th consecutive defeat of the Thundering Herd.
NEXT UP: Miami continues the hunt for its first victory against a MAC West opponent Tuesday when it hosts Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. After reeling off 14 consecutive wins over the Eagles from 1992-98, the RedHawks have gone winless in their last three meetings with EMU, losing by an average of 25.7 points per game. One of just two MAC teams that Miami has not defeated under head coach Maria Fantanarosa, the Eagles are visiting Oxford for the first time since a 64-50 Miami win in 1998-the RedHawks' last win in the series. After a tough non-conference slate, Eastern Michigan is off to a 4-1 start in MAC play and stands at 7-9 overall.
LOOKING TO ROLL: It has been a long time since Miami has been able to use the term "win streak". After starting the season 3-0 and winning the Spartan Chevrolet Classic, Miami has been unable to put together back-to-back wins while enduring a pair of minor losing streaks. Miami has not won consecutive games since a Nov. 30 loss at Georgia Tech and has a 2-5 record this season in games that follow a win. Last season, Miami enjoyed three winning streaks of at least four games.
TAKING ON THE WORLD: Though Miami's 5-6 non-conference record marked Miami's first sub .500 out-of-league record in four seasons, head coach Maria Fantanarosa stuck with her theory of using the non-conference schedule to prepare the team for league play. Eight of Miami's non-conference opponents rate among the top 46 percent of all NCAA D-I women's basketball programs, according to the Jan. 23 RPI.com rankings, while the average RPI of Miami's 11 out-of-conference foes is a solid 125.8. The average RPI of the eight teams that have defeated the RedHawks is a solid 107.8. Miami is ranked No. 172 in the RPI and No. 125 in the Sagarin ratings. A breakdown of Miami's opponents in the RPI and Sagarin rankings is on page 5.
OFFENSE WINS: When the offense is working, everything is working for Miami. Aside from a 108-102 overtime loss at Kentucky, Miami is 8-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points and 6-0 when outshooting the opposition from the field. Miami, which is 0-6 when scoring less than 70 points, has shot 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range and averaged 81.6 points per outing in wins. Through eight defeats, however, the RedHawks have hit just 38 percent of their shots from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 65.8 points per game.
POLISHING THE GLASS: Another important theme in RedHawk wins has been rebounding. Miami, which is averaging 39.1 rebounds per game, ranks third in the MAC in rebounding offense and sixth in rebounding margin (+0.3). The RedHawks are especially strong on the offensive glass, grabbing 15.5 offensive boards a contest and ranking second in the league. Miami, which is averaging 13.8 second chance points per game-nearly 20 percent of its overall scoring, owns a 5-2 record when out-rebounding the opposition and just a 3-6 mark when being out-rebounded.
RETURNING TO FORM: Mired by a four-game slump in which she averaged an uncharacteristically low 9.5 ppg and shot a meager 31 percent from the floor, Miami senior Heather Cusick busted out in grand fashion on Jan. 20 at Ohio. Cusick, who had been hobbled by an ankle injury she suffered at Butler on Dec. 28, looked like her old self while pouring in a game-high 29 points off 11-of-20 shooting from the field. The senior also dished six assists, swiped three steals and drained three 3-point field goals and 4-of-4 free throws on the night. The 29 points were the second-highest total of her career and marked the Miami-record 29th 20-point game of her career. Cusick has averaged 19.3 points per game over her last three outings.
CUSICK ON THE MIAMI CHARTS: Already Miami's career leader for assists and 20-point games, Heather Cusick is about to take sole possession of another Miami career mark. The only player in Miami history to earn all-MAC recognition in each of her first three seasons, Cusick hit two 3-point field goals Monday night at Marshall to move into a tie with Jamie Stewart (1995-99) for first-place all-time at Miami with 208 career treys. The senior's next trey will break Miami's career 3-point field goal record. Cusick also is just 72 points shy of tying Monica Niemann's (1991-95) scoring record, and 57 field goals short of tying Mary Ann Myers' (1978-82) career field goal record.
LONG-RANGE DIVAS: With a deep arsenal of long-range threats on its roster, Miami has not been shy about launching 3-point field goals. Through 16 games, Miami has fired up a MAC-leading 324 treys (20.3 pg) and connected on 33 percent of the efforts. Miami's current roster includes four of the top 12 career 3-point shooters in Miami history, including Heather Cusick (t-1st-208), Melanie Kozlowski (7th-93), Beth Roederer (9th-65) and Colleen Day (12th-40). Miami is 6-3 this season when attempting at least 20 treys and ranks third in the MAC, averaging 6.8 treys per game.
AS THE BALL TURNS: Miami's turnover statistics have had plenty of twists and turns this season. After committing just 93 turnovers or a respectable 15.5 turnovers per game through their first six outings, the RedHawks totaled a whopping 117 miscues or 23.4 per game through their next five contests. Miami has gotten off to a solid start in MAC play, averaging 14.4 turnovers per outing through four games and ranking second in the league with a +6.6 turnover margin. Through 16 games, Miami maintains a +2.6 overall turnover margin, which ranks third in the MAC. The RedHawks, who are forcing 20.2 turnovers per game-the second-highest total in the MAC-are scoring an average of 20.7 ppg off opponent miscues.
COMING FROM ALL ANGLES: While Heather Cusick has been Miami's clear scoring leader over the past two seasons, the RedHawk offense is by no means an easy scout. Already this season, eight different RedHawks have tallied in double figures, including seven that have achieved the feat at least three times. Presently, six RedHawks are averaging better than 7.7 ppg, led by Cusick's 16.3 ppg. This season's team has the luxury of six of the Top 45 scorers in Miami women's basketball history-Cusick (3rd-1,536), Kim Lancaster (16th-938), Colleen Day (37th-631), Jana Butler (39th-609) Beth Roederer (42nd-586) and Melanie Kozlowski (45th-559).
BIG BENCH PLAY: With 13 scholarship players on her roster, head coach Maria Fantanarosa has the luxury of a deep bench for the first time in her career. Last season, Miami's top five players in terms of minutes averaged 29.7 minutes of playing time-led by Heather Cusick's 37.5 minutes an outing. This season, the top five RedHawks in terms of playing time are averaging a more manageable 24.8 minutes per game, with only Cusick, who is down nearly seven minutes a game from last season, averaging more than 30 minutes a game. Miami's bench also has made an impact on the scoreboard, dramatically increasing its scoring average from 16.3 ppg last season to 27.4 ppg this year. Miami's reserves have been held under 22 points only once this season and have been outscored just three times.
CUSICK AND THE MAC GREATS: Along with etching her name all over the Miami career record books, Heather Cusick also is starting to a place her name throughout the Mid-American Conference record book. The senior's 1,536 career points rank 23rd in MAC history, while her 208 3-point field goals and 531 assists rank sixth and 11th, respectively. Miami's point guard also has reached the MAC's top 13 for career steals with 265. Cusick could become the first player in MAC history to amass 1,500 points, 600 assists, 400 rebounds, 300 steals and 200 3-point field goals. She's only the second MAC Player, joining former Toledo standout Kelly Savage (1985-89), to reach both 500 career assists and 200 career 3-point field goals.
STEADY AS THEY COME: When opposing coaches are scouting Miami, they do not have to wonder whether or not point guard Heather Cusick will be on the floor. Cusick, who has played in all 103 games of her collegiate career, made her 100th consecutive start Monday at Marshall. Opposing teams also can expect Cusick to show up on the stat sheet, where she has scored in double figures in 80 percent (83-of-103) of her career games and notched 29 outings of 20 points or more. Cusick also has dished an assist in 73 straight games and has only been held scoreless once in 103 contests. The senior has made a steal in 83 of the last 84 contests-a 78-game streak ended at TCU on Jan. 3.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000: After netting 64 points (10.7 ppg) over the last six games, Miami's Kim Lancaster has pulled to within just 62 points of becoming the 14th Miami player to 1,000 points. Lancaster could become just the fourth player in Miami women's basketball history to clear 1,000 points during her junior season-joining teammate Heather Cusick, Monica Niemann (1991-95) and Mary Ann Myers (1978-82). Lancaster already ranks among Miami's career top three in terms of field goal percentage and is shooting an impressive 54 percent from the floor this season to rank third in the MAC.
MILLETT MAGIC: Miami, which has won 18 of its last 24 contests in Millett Hall ended a two-game home losing streak with its 84-56 defeat of Akron on Jan. 7. Last year, Miami finished at 10-3 in Millett Hall overall and 6-2 in league play, finishing the season with seven consecutive home wins. The RedHawks are 31-11 (.738) at home over the past four seasons and have won 12 consecutive home games versus MAC East foes.
CUSICK A CANDIDATE FOR NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD: Miami point guard Heather Cusick has earned recognition on a national level by being listed as a candidate for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is given annually to the nation's top point guard. Awarded based on outstanding performance, the Lieberman Award has gone to UConn's Sue Bird, the 2001-02 Naismith and Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year, in each of the past three seasons. The MAC Player of the Year last season, Cusick joins an impressive list of 17 candidates that also includes UConn's Diana Taurasi and Tennessee's Kara Lawson. Also on the list are two of Cusick's former Indiana's Finest AAU teammates, Xavier's Amy Waugh and Colorado State's Elizabeth English.
BOOK SMARTS: According to the first semester grade reports, Miami's women's basketball team has been getting things done in the classroom as well as on the court. The women's basketball team assembled a team GPA of 3.07 in the fall semester, ranking fifth among all athletic programs at Miami. Junior Melanie Kozlowski (Parma, Ohio/Holy Name), an exercise science major, led the way for the RedHawks, posting a perfect 4.0 GPA and earning a spot on the prestigious President's List.
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