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March 13, 2003
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Miami University (17-11; 11-5 MAC) vs. Ball State University (19-8; 12-4 MAC)
Mid-American Conference Semifinals * 2:30 p.m. * March 14, 2003
Gund Arena * Cleveland, Ohio
MIAMI TOURNAMENT NOTES
-Miami University makes its third consecutive MAC Semifinal appearance at 2:30 p.m. Friday when it faces Ball State in Cleveland's Gund Arena. Miami's run of three straight MAC Semifinal appearances is the longest active string in the MAC and the longest at Miami since it qualified for three straight league semifinals from 1995-97.
-The RedHawks have been eliminated in their last four MAC Semifinal appearances and have not advanced to the MAC Championship game since 1995.
-Since divisional play began in 1997-98, the MAC East Division regular-season champion has advanced to all five MAC Championship games and faced a MAC West representative. Miami, the lone MAC East team remaining in the field, earned its first MAC East title this season.
SERIES NOTES
-Miami and Ball State are meeting for the 47th time, with the RedHawks owning a 34-13 series advantage. Ball State has won the last two meetings, with Miami's last series win coming in the 2001 MAC Quarterfinals. Two of the last three meetings between the teams have been decided in overtime.
-The two programs have clashed twice in the MAC Tournament, with Miami prevailing in both meetings. In the 2001 MAC Quarterfinals, Miami, behind a RedHawk record 40 points from then-freshman Kim Lancaster, rallied from 20 points down to defeat the Cardinals 91-88 in overtime.
-Miami and Ball State have clashed in the MAC Semifinals just once before, with top-seeded Miami earning a 72-70 defeat over the fourth-seeded Cardinals in Detroit, Mich., in the 1990 MAC Tournament.
-Ball State and Miami last clashed on Feb. 3 in Muncie, Ind., when the Cardinals rallied from a 16-point deficit with less than 10 minutes to play and nipped the RedHawks in overtime, 97-93.
-Friday's match-up pits the MAC's 2002 and 2003 players of the year in Miami's Heather Cusick and Ball State's Tamara Bowie. In their February meeting, Cusick netted 28 points in 26 minutes, including 6-of-8 3-point field goals, before fouling out, while Bowie poured in 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including the game-tying bucket with eight seconds left.
MIAMI 80, EASTERN MICHIGAN 66 (March 12, 2003)
-Miami won for the seventh time in eight games Wednesday, defeating Eastern Michigan, 80-66, for its third straight MAC Quarterfinal win and avenging its last quarterfinal loss, which came against the Eagles in 2000.
-After missing its first free throw attempt of the game, Miami drained its last 23 charity tosses versus the Eagles and broke a program record for single-game free throw percentage (23-of-24/.958)
-In her first game back after a concussion suffered versus Marshall in the regular-season finale, Miami's Jana Butler poured in a career-high 21 points, including a personal-best 9-of-9 free throws. It marked the second 20-point effort of her career.
-The RedHawks also benefitted from a season-low seven turnovers-the lowest total ever by a Fantanarosa-coached Miami team and outscored the Eagles 21-5 in points off turnovers.
-Heather Cusick totaled just seven points off 2-of-9 shooting, matching her MAC Tournament career low, which ironically came in Miami's 2000 MAC Quarterfinal loss to EMU. Surprisingly, in five contests this season in which Cusick is held to single digits, Miami has posted a 4-1 record.
MIAMI TEAM NOTES
-Since Miami's back-to-back losses to Ball State and Kent State in early February, which dropped Miami to 5-4 in the MAC, the RedHawks have won seven of their last eight games and have reached the 17-win plateau for the third consecutive season under head coach Maria Fantanarosa.
-The only MAC East Division representative remaining in the tournament field, Miami also is the only MAC East team to post a winning record versus the West Division during the regular season, posting a 4-3 record. The three losses, however, came to 2003 MAC Semifinalists Western Michigan (75-60/Jan. 11), Toledo (77-72/Jan. 19) and Ball State (97-94/Feb. 3).
-Miami, which ranked seventh in the MAC in team field goal percentage (.424) entering the tournament, has found its offensive rhythm over the past two games, averaging 50 percent shooting from the field in wins over Marshall and EMU.
-Miami's senior class, the first class to spend four seasons under Fantanarosa, has been critical over Miami's last eight games, with Heather Cusick averaging 14.0 points and nearly 6.0 assists, Beth Roederer pouring in 11.0 ppg and Jana Butler averaging 6.9 ppg and a team-leading 5.6 rebounds per game. Roederer and Butler have each tallied career-highs in points in the last two games, with Roederer pouring in 22 in a March 4 defeat of Marshall and Butler contributing 21 in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
-One of the keys to Miami's recent success has been its performance from the free throw line, where it has hit 81 percent of its efforts over the last eight games. The only game Miami has lost during its current eight-game stretch also was the only game in which the RedHawks shot less than 65 percent from the free throw line.
-Miami's bench continues to play an important role, as the RedHawks played 12 players Wednesday, getting 22 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and five steals. Nine players played at least 10 minutes in the game-the most of any team that won a quarterfinal on Wednesday.
MIAMI INDIVIDUAL NOTES
-Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa has not competed in six MAC Tournaments as a player and coach, winning at least one game in each and advancing to the league semifinals in five of the six. She is still in search of her first MAC Championship game appearance.
-Heather Cusick, who totaled just seven points in Wednesday's quarterfinal win, has not been held to single digits in back-to-back games since her sophomore season.
-With 594 career assists, Cusick ranks ninth all-time in the MAC, needing just two assists to move past former Bowling Green standout Susie Cassell for eighth place and six dishes to reach 600 for her career.
-Cusick needs one 3-point field goal Friday to reach 50 in a season for the third consecutive season.
-Senior Beth Roederer was honored Wednesday as one of 10 finalists for the V Foundation Comeback Player of the Year honor. Over the past four seasons, the Indianapolis native has spent almost every day in pain because of a condition known as Compartment Syndrome in which the membrane that surrounds the calf muscles does not expand enough to accommodate for the routine swelling of the muscles during physical activity-like a balloon with too much water in it. Kent State's Tiffanie Hager also was named a finalist.
-Along with her career-highs in points (21) and free throws (9), Jana Butler blocked her 26th shot of the year Wednesday to move within one rejection of tying Deb Grushon (1978-82) for 10th all-time at Miami.
-Junior Melanie Kozlowski enjoyed the backing of her hometown crowd Wednesday, tallying 10 points for just her second double-digit scoring effort in the past 10 games.
-Junior Colleen Day, who is averaging a team-high 15.0 ppg over the last eight games, tallied nine points in Wednesday's win, missing out on double digits for just the second time in the past nine games.
-Sophomore Nicki Motto had a strong MAC Tournament debut Wednesday, dishing a team-high five assists and snagging two steals in just 11 minutes of action.
-Freshman Cindi Merrill has picked up the pace over the last six games, tallying in double digits four times, including a 10-point effort Wednesday. She was 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line versus the Eagles.
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