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Feb. 25, 2003
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FIRST-PLACE REDHAWKS PUT FOUR-GAME WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE VERSUS OHIO: With the Mid-American Conference East Division lead in tow, Miami University's women's basketball team (14-10; 9-4 MAC) looks to extend a four-game winning streak and move one game closer to its first MAC title since 1989-90 Wednesday night when it hosts the arch-rival Ohio University Bobcats (8-17; 4-10 MAC).
After last Sunday's thrilling 78-71 overtime defeat of Kent State, Miami enters its regular-season ending three-game homestand with a one-game game lead in the MAC East standings. By winning out, the RedHawks can control their own destiny and become the first team, other than five-time champion Kent State, to claim a MAC East Division title and the first-round tournament bye that comes with it. Before Miami can start thinking "championship", however, it must get through a trio of surging MAC East foes, including a feisty Ohio squad that took the RedHawks to overtime this past January.
Coached by fourth-year mentor Lynn Bria, the Bobcats are aiming to build momentum following their most convincing league win of the season, an 80-66 defeat of Marshall. Sophomore guard Andrea Johnson leads Ohio, averaging 12.3 points an outing, while juniors Candace Bates and Latreece Bagley averaged 11.5 and 10.9 ppg, respectively. Bagley, the MAC leader in field goal percentage, is connecting on a stellar .643 of her attempts from the field. Sophomore Erin Isbell paces the Bobcats on the glass, averaging 8.2 boards per game. Since starting league play at 1-7, Ohio has split its last six games and is looking to improve its seeding for the MAC Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY: Wednesday night's contest brings together two of the MAC's oldest rivals, as Miami and Ohio clash for the 55th time. Since the teams' first meeting, a 60-54 Bobcat win in Athens on Jan. 24, 1975, Miami and Ohio have met every season for the past 28 years. Since 1981-82, when the two started MAC play, they have faced each other at least twice a year. Riding a six-game winning streak, the RedHawks lead the overall series 38-16 and have not lost to the Bobcats in Millett Hall since a 77-73 overtime win on Feb. 18, 1998. The Red and White owns an 18-5 series edge when hosting the Bobcats.
THE LAST MEETING-Miami 80, Ohio 78 (OT); Jan. 14, 2003: It took an overtime period and 29 points from Heather Cusick, but Miami rebounded to 2-1 in the MAC with its fifth straight defeat of Ohio. In a game that took on a physical tone from the beginning, the Bobcats finished the second half with a 14-5 run and led, 40-34, at the half. Ohio opened its advantage to 10 points early in the second half, but Miami charged back with a 14-2 run to claim the lead. A back-and-forth battle ensued. Ohio led 69-67 late, but Jana Butler sent the game into overtime with her first field goal of the night at 0:38. It was back-and-forth again in overtime, but a Colleen Day jumper knotted the score at 76-76 with 1:46 to play and Melanie Kozlowski and Cusick buried four free throws in the final 36 seconds.
BATTLE OF THE BRICKS: As part of the intense rivalry between Miami University and Ohio University, the two schools have initiated a new promotion entitled "Battle of the Bricks". Over the course of the season, a running tally is kept of all the head-to-head meetings between the RedHawks and Bobcats. Miami has been dominant so far this season, posting an 11-4 record versus the Bobcats.
MILLETT MAGIC: The magic of Miami's home court seems to have faded a bit this season, but the Red and White is hoping a resurgence is in order as it plays its final three regular-season games at home. The RedHawks have won 20 of their last 27 contests in Millett Hall but are just 4-4 this season. 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 33-11 (.750) at home over the past four seasons and had won 12 consecutive home games versus MAC East opponents until a Feb. 8 loss to Kent State.
LOOKING AHEAD: Miami hosts Buffalo at 2 p.m. Saturday in a key MAC East clash. The Bulls are on a tear, winning their last four games and six of their past eight overall. Trailing the RedHawks by just two games in the MAC East standings, Buffalo (15-9; 7-4 MAC) can keep its MAC East title hopes alive with a win but would be eliminated from title contention with a loss. Miami has taken three straight games from the Bulls, including a 50-45 win in Buffalo on Jan. 25. With a Miami defeat of Ohio Wednesday night and a Ball State win over Kent State Thursday, the RedHawks could clinch the MAC East title by defeating Buffalo on Saturday.
FOLLOWING THROUGH: Under head coach Maria Fantanarosa, Miami has made a point of finishing strong. Over the four seasons leading up to this year, the RedHawks have posted a 24-13 (.649) record in the months of February and March. Off to a 4-2 to start this February and on a four-game winning streak, recent trends indicate that Miami will only get stronger. The RedHawks won seven straight before bowing out of the MAC Tournament last season, five straight before succumbing in the MAC semifinals in 2000-01 and three consecutive before losing in the MAC Quarterfinals in 1999-2000. Miami has never had a losing month of February under Fantanarosa.
THE RACE IS ON: With three regular-season contests remaining, Miami continues its quest for its first MAC East Division title. The RedHawks, who enter Wednesday with a one game lead in the East Division standings, control their own fate with three games remaining. If Miami can win its last three games, it can clinch sole possession of the East title. Miami currently leads Kent State by one game and Buffalo by two games in the division standings and can clinch at least its fourth straight MAC East runner-up finish with a defeat of Ohio. If Miami loses Wednesday, its path becomes more difficult. Miami would need to win its last two games and hope that Kent State and Buffalo each loses one of its remaining contests. For more information on the MAC race, check out page eight.
A FINE LINE: The difference between winning and losing has been a fine line indeed for Miami's 2002-03 women's basketball team. Through 24 games this season, 11 of Miami's games have been decided by five points or less and 16 have been decided by 10 points or fewer, with all 16 coming down to the final minutes. The RedHawks have forged a 9-7 record in games decided by 10 or fewer points. Miami also has been working its share of overtime, posting a 3-2 record in games that have taken an extra period. Miami's five overtime games this season are a program single-season record. The past eight games have especially illustrated just how fine the line can be. In posting a 6-2 mark since a Jan. 25 win at Buffalo, the average margin of victory has been a mere 4.9 points.
THE VIEW FROM ON TOP: With its 78-71 overtime defeat of Kent State last Sunday, Miami placed itself in a position it has not known since the start of divisional play in 1997-98-in first-place in the MAC East with just three games remaining. In fact, Miami has not been poised atop a MAC race this late in the season since its last MAC regular-season championship in 1989-90. Since its last MAC title, Miami has never been closer than two games behind the league or East Division championship in the final standings. Since starting MAC play during the 1981-82 campaign, Miami has claimed a total of three MAC regular-season titles, including the first two in 1981-82 and 1982-83. Since its quick start, however, Miami has raised just one championship banner in the last 18 years, including its current program-long drought of 11 years.
CHARITY CASES: One of the keys for Miami in league play has been its performance fro m the free throw line. Over the last five games, the RedHawks have buried 86-of-103 free throws (.835) to raise their season average to .719. Versus Central Michigan (Feb. 19), Miami set a single-game record by burying 20-of-21 (.952) free throws-the highest percentage ever by a Miami team with at least 20 attempts. Leading the way are four RedHawks who are shooting at least 80 percent from the line since the start of league play. Colleen Day has hit an impressive 41-of-45 (.911) charity tosses in league play, while Beth Roederer is hitting .864 (19-22), Cindi Merrill (24-29) is connecting on .828 and Heather Cusick is netting .805 (33-41). Since the start of MAC play, Miami has shot .764 from the line, improving its free throw percentage by a whopping 52 percent.
OFFENSE WINS: When the offense is working, everything is working for Miami. Aside from overtime losses at Kentucky and Ball State, Miami is 12-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points and 10-1 when outshooting or matching the opposition from the field. On the flip side, Miami is 1-7 when scoring less than 70 points and 4-9 when being outshot from the field. The RedHawks are averaging 77.3 ppg and shooting 44 percent from the floor and 36 percent from the 3-point arc in their 14 wins. Excluding overtime losses to Ball State and Kentucky, in which it tallied 94 and 102 points, respectively, Miami is averaging just 60.5 points and shooting 36 percent from the floor in its remaining eight losses.
POLISHING THE GLASS: Another important theme in RedHawk wins has been rebounding. Miami, which is averaging 39.2 rebounds per game, ranks third in the MAC in rebounding and fourth in rebounding margin (+0.9). The RedHawks are especially strong on the offensive glass, grabbing 14.6 offensive boards a contest and ranking second in the league. Miami, which is getting nearly 20 percent of its offense from second-chance points, owns an 11-2 record when outrebounding the opposition and just a 3-8 mark when being tied or outrebounded.
CUSICK AND THE MAC GREATS: Along with etching her name all over the Miami career record books, Heather Cusick also is placing her name throughout the MAC record book. The senior's 1,664 career points rank 19th in MAC history, while her 223 3-point field goals and 571 assists rank fifth and 10th, respectively. Miami's point guard also has reached the MAC's Top 10 for steals with 287. Cusick could become the first player in MAC history to amass 1,500 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds, 300 steals and 200 3-pointers.
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 111 games of her collegiate career has started 108 consecutive contests. Opposing teams also can expect Cusick to show up on the stat sheet, where she has scored in double figures in 80 percent (89-of-111) of her career games and notched 32 outings of 20 points or more. Cusick also has dished an assist in 81 straight games and has only been held scoreless once in 111 contests. The senior has made a steal in 91 of the last 92 contests-a 78-game streak ended at TCU on Jan. 3.
PLAYING WITH THE BOYS: While Heather Cusick is having her way with Miami's 28-year old women's basketball record book, she also is ranking herself alongside some the biggest names in RedHawk men's basketball history. With 23 points versus Kent State last Sunday, Cusick moved past Damon Frierson (1996-99) to become the fifth-highest scoring player in RedHawk men's and women's basketball history. Cusick needs just 16 points to move past Eric Newsome (1984-88) for fourth place, leaving her behind such Miami legends as Ron Harper (1983-86), Wally Szczerbiak (1996-99) and Devin Davis (1,828). Cusick also rates among the top three in the men's record book in a number of other categories, including steals (t-1st/287), assists (2nd/571) and 3-point field goals (2nd/223).
A GREAT DAY: After starting losses versus Ball State and Kent State on the bench, Miami junior Colleen Day has returned to the starting lineup with a vengeance. Over the course of Miami's current four-game winning streak, Day has averaged a team-leading 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, and draining 20-of-21 free throw attempts.
The junior recorded her second 20-point effort of the season with 21 points at Bowling Green (Feb. 15) and her third double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Central Michigan (Feb. 19). The Independence, Ohio, native, who ranks among the MAC's Top 15 in overall rebounding and offensive rebounding, became the 14th player in Miami history to reach 500 career rebounds on Feb. 19 versus CMU.
CLUTCH PERFORMER: Miami senior Beth Roederer has demonstrated the poise of a true veteran during a recent string of tight games. In Miami's dramatic comeback defeat of Eastern Michigan, Roederer drained a backbreaking 24-foot 3-pointer in overtime to lift Miami to the win. The senior followed up with another clutch overtime trey at Ball State, but the five-point cushion it provided was not enough. On Feb. 13 Roederer hit a critical layup at Northern Illinois that put Miami in front, 61-60, with less than two minutes to play and later iced to free throws to put the game out of reach. Roederer scored 14 second-half points in leading Miami to a come-from-behind win at Bowling Green on Feb. 15 and drained still another key 3-pointer with under five minutes to play in Miami's defeat of Central Michigan last Wednesday. She is averaging 9.1 ppg over the past six outings.
BUTLER'S BLOCK PARTY: After averaging fewer than 10 blocks a season over her first three years in the Miami Red and White, senior center Jana Butler has emerged as a shot blocking threat during her senior season. Through 24 games, Butler already has swatted 23 shots, including four contests with three rejections each. The senior presently ranks 12th all-time at Miami with 54 career blocked shots. She ranks fourth in the MAC this season.
GO-TO GIRL: When the game is on the line and a key bucket is in order, Miami senior Jana Butler has become a top option for head coach Maria Fantanarosa. In four of Miami's five overtime games this season, Butler has netted Miami's last points in regulation, including three shots that have knotted games and forced overtime. Butler's string began at Kentucky (Dec. 21) when she hit a shot with 13 seconds remaining that tied the score at 92-92 and forced OT. Against Ohio, Butler came through in the clutch again, knotting the game at 69-69 with 38 seconds to play. Most recently, Butler completed Miami's comeback at Kent State (Feb. 23) by knocking down a bucket with 1:01 remaining that sent the game into overtime at 69-69.
THE MIAMI TRIAD: The first Miami class recruited by Maria Fantanarosa, the trio of Jana Butler, Heather Cusick and Beth Roederer have left an indelible impression on the Miami women's basketball program. Over the past four seasons, Miami's three seniors have combined to play in a whopping 322 of 333 possible career games while making an impressive 247 starts. All three players are presently in Miami's starting lineup and ranked in Miami's career Top 10 in at least one category. The trio's experience also has been critical in the final minutes of close games, in which all three have stepped up multiple times this season.
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