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March 10, 2003
Complete Postseason Guide in PDF Format
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SECOND-SEEDED REDHAWKS HEAD TO CLEVELAND FOR 17TH MAC TOURNEY: Well rested from an eight-day layoff, Miami University's women's basketball team (16-11; 11-5 MAC) begins its drive toward the 2003 Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night when it clashes with seventh-seeded Eastern Michigan University (13-15; 9-7 MAC) in quarterfinal-round action.
Miami, which enters the tournament with the No. 2 seed after earning its first MAC East Division Championship, faces an Eastern Michigan program that defeated first-round opponent Bowling Green, 66-54, last Saturday to advance to its second straight MAC Quarterfinal. The RedHawks, who posted an 83-79 overtime defeat of the Eagles in the teams' only meeting this season, have won their last two quarterfinal-round contests in Cleveland's Gund Arena.
Mentored by fifth-year head coach Suzy Merchant, EMU has won six of its last eight games and has its sights set on its first MAC Semifinal appearance since it defeated Miami in the 1999-2000 MAC Quarterfinals. Second-team all-MAC selection Ryan Coleman, a sophomore guard, paces the Eagles in almost every major statistical category, averaging 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Senior forward Abby Wiseman and freshman forward Nikki Knapp, a MAC All-Freshman Team selection, round out EMU's scoring leaders, posting 12.1 and 11.9 ppg, respectively. Sophomore guard Erika Ford, who is coming off an 11-assist outing in Saturday's first-round win, averages 4.9 dishes per game for the Eagles.
SERIES HISTORY: Wednesday marks the 40th clash between the RedHawks and Eagles but just the second meeting in the MAC Tournament. Miami leads the overall series 30-9 but just recently snapped a three-game losing streak versus EMU that had followed a 14-game RedHawk winning streak that extended from 1992-98. In the teams' lone postseason meeting, EMU sent the RedHawks home from the 2000 MAC Quarterfinals with a dominant 88-51 beating in Cleveland's Public Hall. In the teams' most recent meeting, Miami earned a dramatic 83-79 overtime win in Oxford on Jan. 28.
THE LAST MEETING-Miami 83, Eastern Michigan 79 (OT); Jan. 28, 2003: Trailing by 21 points with under two minutes to play in the first half, Miami completed one of the most dramatic comeback efforts in program history, nipping Eastern Michigan, 83-79, in overtime and ending a three-game losing streak versus the Eagles. Trailing 43-25 after a sluggish first half, Miami, paced by Heather Cusick, came alive in the second half. Cusick, who tallied 22 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, ignited several RedHawk runs during the half and finally knotted the score at 63-63 with a three-point play at the 2:08 mark. In the overtime period, Beth Roederer provided the fireworks for Miami, draining a backbreaking 24-foot 3-point field goal in the final minute that extended a narrow one-point RedHawk edge into a two possession affair. For complete recaps and boxscores on this and all Miami games, turn to pages 33-41.
THE ROAD AHEAD: If Miami is able to get past Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals, the Red and White would advance to its third consecutive MAC Semifinal, where it would face the winner of No. 3 Ball State and No. 6 Buffalo, who take the court for their quarterfinal match-up immediately following Miami's clash with EMU, at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Miami split with Buffalo during the regular season, most recently dropping a 69-64 decision in Oxford on March 1. The RedHawks dropped a heartbreaking 97-94 overtime contest to Ball State in the teams' only 2002-03 meeting on Feb. 3.
A win in the semifinals would advance Miami to its first MAC Championship game since the 1994-95 campaign. Awaiting the RedHawks from the other half of the bracket could be top-seeded Toledo, which defeated Miami 77-72 on Jan. 18; fourth-seeded Western Michigan, which topped the Red and White 75-60 on Jan. 9; fifth-seeded Kent State, which split with the RedHawks during the regular season; or ninth-seeded Marshall, whom Miami swept in the regular-season.
The winner of the MAC Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which Miami has never been a part of.
MIAMI TOURNEY TIDBITS: Miami is appearing in its 15th MAC Quarterfinal game, posting an 8-6 record thus far in those contests ... With 17 all-time MAC postseason appearances, Miami ties for fourth in the league with Ohio, trailing only Central Michigan (20), Toledo (18) and Bowling Green (18) ... Miami's 16-16 (.500) MAC postseason record ranks fourth in the MAC ... The RedHawks are undefeated against Akron (1-0), Ball State (2-0), Marshall (2-0) and Northern Illinois (1-0) in the MAC Tournament and winless against Bowling Green (0-1), Eastern Michigan (0-1) and Toledo (0-2) ... Since the MAC re-expanded to include a quarterfinal round in 1988, the Red and White has qualified 15 of a possible 16 times ... Last season's semifinal appearance marked the second straight time the RedHawks advanced to the league's final four and 11th overall ... Miami is making just its second MAC Tournament appearance as the No. 2 seed, last earning the second seed in 1993 ... In 1993, the second-seeded Red and White advanced to the MAC Semifinals before falling to Kent State, 79-69 ... The Red and White has not appeared in the MAC Championship game since 1995 when it lost to Toledo, 79-65 in overtime ... The Red and White has lost four straight MAC Semifinal games and three straight MAC Championship games ... Miami's only MAC Tournament title came in 1982, when it defeated Northern Illinois 58-56 and advanced to the AIAW Tournament-the NCAA Tournament started in 1983.
LAST TIME OUT-Miami 89, Marshall 81 (OT); March 4, 2003: Miami concluded the 2002-03 regular season in an appropriate matter, thrilling the Millett Hall crowd one more time with a dramatic 89-81 overtime defeat of Marshall that gave the RedHawks sole possession of the 2002-03 MAC East Division crown. Trailing 39-29 at the half, Miami seniors Heather Cusick and Beth Roederer refused to lose in their last game in Millett Hall, spearheading a RedHawk comeback that sent the contest into overtime at 76-76. In the extra period, Colleen Day, who went on a 7-0 run late in the second half to help force overtime, scored six unanswered points in the final two minutes of overtime to secure the win. Day finished with 24 points, while Roederer added a career-high 22 points and Cusick contributed 18 points, eight assists and four steals.
THE VIEW FROM ON TOP: With its defeat of Marshall in its regular-season finale, Miami achieved what no MAC East team other than Kent State had been able to achieve since divisional play began in 1997-98, winning the 2002-03 MAC East Division title. Entering the game, Miami had not been poised atop a MAC race so late in the season since its last MAC regular-season championship in 1989-90. Since starting MAC play during the 1981-82 campaign, Miami has claimed a total of four MAC regular-season titles-three overall titles and this season's East Division crown-including the first two in 1981-82 and 1982-83. After its quick start, however, Miami raised just one championship banner during the next 18 years, ending a program-long 11-year drought this season.
BYE, BYE, REDHAWKS: After hosting first-round MAC Tournament games in each of the past three seasons, Miami found a more direct route to Cleveland this season, earning the MAC East title, a No. 2 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. This season marks the first time Miami has notched a bye for the first round, which has been possible since 1999-2000 when the tournament expanded to include all 13 teams. Head coach Maria Fantanarosa made good use of the extra time, giving her team two well-deserved days off to recover from what has been a grueling campaign thus far.
BODIES WORKING OVERTIME: Miami, which had never played more than three overtime games in a season prior to this year, has doubled that total this season, posting a 4-2 record in a whopping six overtime outings. Miami and Marshall, who ironically finished the 2002-03 campaign with an overtime contest, have each gone into the extra period a league-leading six times, while no other MAC unit has made more than three overtime appearances. Miami, which has won four of its last five overtime contests, has played in a total of 10 overtime contests with its current senior class, posting an impressive 8-2 record.
A FINE LINE: The difference between winning and losing has been an exceptionally fine line for Miami's 2002-03 women's basketball team. Out of 27 games this season, a whopping 15 have been decided by five points or fewer at the end of regulation, including six that went into overtime. Three other games were decided by 10 points or fewer, meaning that 18 of Miami's 27 games, or two-thirds, have been come down to the final two minutes. The RedHawks have posted a solid 10-8 record in games separated by 10 or fewer points this season and a 6-6 record in those where the final margin is five points or fewer. Excluding Miami's convincing win over Ohio on Feb. 26, 10 of Miami's last 11 games have come down to the last minute with the average margin standing at a meager 5.2 points.
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 her team for league play. Eight of Miami's non-conference opponents rate among the top 130 of 324 NCAA D-I women's basketball programs, according to the March 8 RPI.com rankings, while the average RPI of Miami's 11 out-of-conference foes is a solid 121.1. The average RPI of the 11 teams that have defeated the RedHawks this season is an even more impressive 88.5. Miami is ranked No. 117 in the RPI and No. 112 in the Sagarin ratings, the highest it's been at the end of the regular season under Fantanarosa.
CHARITY CASES: One of the keys for Miami in league play, whether winning or losing, has been its performance from the free throw line. Through 10 league wins, Miami has averaged 21.6 trips to the free throw line and connected on an impressive 76 percent of its efforts. Versus Central Michigan (Feb. 19), Miami set a team single-game record by burying 20-of-21 (.952) free throws-the highest percentage ever by a Miami team with at least 20 attempts. On the contrary, Miami has only made an average of 13.2 trips to the line in league losses, connecting on 71 percent of those efforts.
Leading the way are three RedHawks, who are shooting better than 80 percent from the line since the start of league play. Colleen Day has hit an impressive 57-of-66 (.864) charity tosses in league play, while Beth Roederer is hitting .875 (28-of-32) and Heather Cusick (41-of-51) is connecting on .804. Since the start of MAC play, Miami has shot .753 from the line, improving its free throw percentage by more than 50 percentage points since the non-conference portion of its schedule.
OFFENSE WINS: When the offense is working, everything is working for Miami. Aside from overtime losses at Kentucky and Ball State, Miami is 14-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points and 12-1 when outshooting or matching the opposition from the field. On the flip side, Miami is 1-8 when scoring less than 70 points and 4-10 when being outshot from the field. The RedHawks are averaging 78.4 ppg and shooting 45 percent from the floor and 36 percent from the 3-point arc in their 16 wins.
Excluding overtime losses to Ball State and Kentucky, in which it tallied 94 and 102 points, respectively, Miami is averaging just 60.9 points and shooting 36 percent from the floor in its remaining nine losses.
FEAT OF A CENTURY: As Miami's women's basketball program can attest, the face of college women's basketball is changing. In the first 25 seasons of Miami women's basketball, the Red and White cleared 100 points in a game a grand total of six times. Over the past three seasons, however, the RedHawks have reached the century mark an impressive five times, including twice this season. Maria Fantanarosa's squads have accounted for four of the 10 highest single-game scoring efforts in program history, including the record of 110 points set on Dec. 7 versus Wright State.
POLISHING THE GLASS: An important theme in most of the RedHawks' games this season is rebounding. Miami, which is averaging 38.6 rebounds per game, ranks third in the MAC in rebounding and fourth in rebounding margin (+1.3). 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 a 13-4 record when outrebounding or matching the opposition and just a 3-7 mark when being outrebounded. In Miami's last outing of the regular-season, it matched Marshall, the MAC's top rebounding team, 31-31 on the glass.
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 25.8 minutes per game, despite a record six overtime games, with only Cusick, who is down more than five minutes a game from last season, averaging more than 30 minutes a game. Miami's bench also has made an impact on the scoreboard, increasing its scoring average from 16.3 ppg last season to 26.7 ppg. Miami's reserves have been outscored just five times this season.
DEPTH PERCEPTION: The depth of Miami's bench could play a big factor in the RedHawks' MAC Tournament aspirations. Miami has played at least nine players in every game this season and has nine players averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game. No other team in the MAC Tournament field has more than eight players averaging that much playing time per game and three of the top five seeds have six or fewer.
AS THE BALL TURNS: One of the biggest differences for this season's Miami team from the past four seasons has been its ability to take care of the ball. After averaging 19.1 turnovers per game over the past four seasons, Miami is committing just 16.9 miscues per game this season, while forcing a league-high 19.7 turnovers an outing. The RedHawks' turnover margin, +2.8, ranks third in the MAC and has improved to +4.1 versus MAC opponents. The trend has been best represented by Miami's point guard, Heather Cusick, who is averaging a career-low 3.4 turnovers per game this season.
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, nine different RedHawks have tallied in double figures multiple times, including eight that have achieved the feat at least four times. Presently, seven RedHawks are averaging at least 6.5 ppg, led by Cusick's 16.0 ppg. This season's team has the luxury of six of the Top 40 scorers in Miami women's basketball history-Cusick (1st-1,710), Kim Lancaster (13th-1,013), Colleen Day (30th-775), Beth Roederer (34th-696), Jana Butler (37th-671) and Melanie Kozlowski (39th-635).
BALANCING ACT: While a number of MAC teams get more points out of their top three players than Miami, none have a broader scoring base to draw from than the RedHawks. Entering the tournament, seven Miami players are averaging at least 6.8 points per game. No other MAC team has more than five players averaging at least 6.5 points per game and three of the tournament's top six seeds have only four.
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 27 games, Miami has fired up 502 treys (18.6)-as compared to just 508 free throws-with six players burying at least 10 long-range attempts. The RedHawks, who have thrown up the second-highest number of 3-pointers in the league, rank fifth in the league in makes (6.1). Miami's 3-point binge has slowed over the last seven games, as the RedHawks have fired up just 14.1 treys per outing, making 4.8, while posting a 6-1 record.
Miami's current roster includes four of the top 12 career 3-point shooters in Miami history, including Heather Cusick (1st-227), Melanie Kozlowski (7th-109), Beth Roederer (8th-76) and Colleen Day (12th-45).
STRING OF TREYS: As testament to what has become a fine 3-point shooting tradition, the RedHawks are working to maintain a string of games with at least one 3-point field goal that dates back to March of 1993. Since that game, a MAC Semifinal loss to Kent State, Miami has drained a 3-point bucket in 280 consecutive games-the longest such streak in the MAC. Louisville holds the current NCAA record, which is over 300 games and counting.
ON EVEN GROUND: With the MAC Tournament taking place within the neutral confines of Cleveland's Gund Arena, Miami can draw a measure of confidence from its record at neutral sites thus far. Miami opened the season with tournaments at Michigan State and Georgia Tech, advancing to the title game of each tournament by vanquishing its first-round opponent on a neutral court. Miami defeated Valparaiso, 77-54, in East Lansing, Mich., and Arkansas State, 72-67, in Atlanta to post a 2-0 record at neutral sites.
MILLETT MAGIC: The magic of Miami's home court faded a bit this season but not enough to prevent the Red and White from securing its 11th consecutive season with a record of .500 or better. The RedHawks have won 22 of their last 30 contests in Millett Hall and finished at 6-5 this season. Last year, Miami finished at 10-3 in Millett Hall overall and 6-2 in league play, closing the season with seven consecutive home wins. The RedHawks are 35-12 (.745) at home over the past four seasons.
ROADHAWKS: The road is becoming an increasingly friendly place for Miami, which finished the regular-season by winning six of its last seven road jaunts. 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, the RedHawks have won three straight road games. Miami, which played 16 of its 27 games this season on the road, owns an 8-6 road record. Last season, Miami assembled an 8-7 record on the road-its first winning road mark since 1995-96.
WORLD TRAVELERS: Miami benefitted from a one-of-a-kind experience over the summer, traveling to Europe where it played four exhibition games against professional teams and took in a lot of sights. From June 23-July 3, the RedHawks spent time in Switzerland, Germany and France, while amassing a perfect 4-0 record versus teams from Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Along with the team bonding, the RedHawks were able to spend additional time on the court in preparing for the upcoming season. A GREAT DAY: Since a two-game stretch on the bench in early February Miami junior Colleen Day has returned to the starting lineup with a vengeance. Over the last eight games, Day has been Miami's top scorer, averaging 15.5 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the floor and 87 percent from the free throw line. The junior, who has three 20-point games this season, is coming off a season-high 24 points in Miami's regular-season finale and has scored at least 12 points in eight of Miami's last 10 games. Day was named MAC East Player of the Week twice during the last month of the season.
DAY BREAKING: Along with her recently rediscovered scoring prowess, Colleen Day has been Miami's most consistent rebounder over the past two seasons. Presently leading Miami and ranking among the Top 15 in the MAC in rebounding (6.5 rpg), Day became just the 14th player in Miami history to surpass the 500 career rebound plateau on Feb. 19 at Central Michigan. With 524 career rebounds to date, Day is within 12 boards of breaking into Miami's career top 10 list for rebounding. The junior has been especially strong on the offensive glass over the past two seasons, averaging 3.2 offensive boards per game.
TOUGH AS THEY COME: Miami senior Beth Roederer has overcome a lot more than midterms and preseason conditioning throughout her Miami career, battling a condition known as Compartment Syndrome since her freshman season. With Compartment Syndrome, the membrane around the calf muscles does not expand enough to accommodate the routine swelling of the muscles during physical activity-like a balloon that has been filled with too much water-resulting in extreme pain in the lower legs. Despite undergoing countless tests and surgeries over the past four years, little can be done to alleviate Roederer's condition, and she has had to simply play above the pain. Through it all, Roederer has missed just six of 114 games during her collegiate career. She is coming off a career-high 22-point effort against Marshall in which she played a season-high 39 minutes.
CLUTCH PERFORMER: Miami senior Beth Roederer has shown the poise of a true veteran down the stretch. In Miami's comeback defeat of Eastern Michigan (Jan. 28), Roederer drained a backbreaking 24-foot 3-pointer in overtime to lift Miami to the win. The senior followed up with another big overtime trey at Ball State (Feb. 3). 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 two 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 on Feb. 19.
BUTLER'S BLOCK PARTY: After averaging fewer than 11 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 27 games, Butler has swatted 25 shots, including four contests with three rejections each. The senior presently ranks 11th all-time at Miami with 56 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 six 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 tied at 69-69.
NOT JUST ANOTHER SMITH: After a slow non-conference season, sophomore Kim Smith has exploded on the scene since the start of MAC play. Smith, who broke Miami's freshman field goal percentage record (.550) last season, is shooting a remarkable .585 (38-of-65) from the field since the start of league play. After Miami's first 11 games, Smith was shooting just 39 percent from the field and averaging only 3.5 points per game. Since that time, Smith has upped her averages to 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Her best all-around game this season came versus Buffalo, when she tallied 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and swiped four steals. In Miami's crucial win at Kent State on Feb. 23, Smith made steals on three consecutive Golden Flash possessions during a critical stretch in which Miami rallied from a 10-point deficit.
One of the best all-around athletes in the history of the Miami program, Smith earned 14 varsity letters in basketball, volleyball, softball and track and field during her high school career and has the highest bench press on the Miami team.
INSTANT OFFENSE: When head coach Maria Fantanarosa is looking for an offensive boost, she has to look no further than her own bench, where junior forward Kim Lancaster is averaging 9.8 points per game and 10.3 ppg in 12 MAC games. Lancaster, who has made all 23 of her appearances off the bench this season, became just the 14th player in RedHawk history to reach 1,000 career points in Miami's Feb. 15 win at Bowling Green. The junior also became just the fourth Miami player to reach 1,000 career points prior to her senior season and is just 74 points shy of passing Fantanarosa for 10th on Miami's career scoring list. One of the best finishers in the league, Lancaster ranks among Miami's top three in terms of field goal percentage, finishing better than 52 percent of her shots.
Lancaster, who missed two weeks of the season after suffering a deep bone bruise in her knee versus BGSU, returned to action last Tuesday against Marshall, converting 5-of-7 shots and tallying 12 points in the win.
HOMECOMING: Wednesday's return to Gund Arena marks a sort of homecoming for Miami sophomores and Cleveland-area natives Colleen Day (Independence, Ohio/Holy Name) and Melanie Kozlowski (Parma, Ohio/Holy Name), who were both Cleveland Plain Dealer "Best of the Best" honorees during their prep careers. The duo led Holy Name to a four-year record of 83-15 (.845) during their careers. Both have been in Miami's starting lineup over the past seven games and can be expected to draw a crowd of family and friends to the games.
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