Fans sitting in the stands of Millet Hall for Saturday afternoon's women's basketball game might have been confused with the two different Miami (12-16, 6-9 MAC) squads they saw.

The first half featured a 'Hawks team that despite early struggles in the post, outplayed an aggressive Kent State team.

The second half showcased a Kent State (14-12, 10-5 MAC) group that shot 72 percent from the field, in comparison to Miami's 29 percent.

Ultimately the Golden Flashes' offensive outburst was too much for the RedHawks to handle, losing their home finale, 86-76.

"It was tough," said 'Hawks guard Amanda Jackson. "We didn't sustain our run, but we kept fighting. We just couldn't stop their run."

Jackson and fellow guard, sophomore Jenna Schone, were the highlights of the Miami offensive attack, scoring 23 and 26 points respectively. Schone was just one point away from her career high of 27; and while she was the game's leading scorer, it wasn't enough to thwart a determined Kent State squad that shot 51.8 percent from the field for the game.

The Flashes came out of the locker room playing high-paced, quick-tempo basketball. They relentlessly crashed the boards and picked up 13 offensive rebounds in the first half alone.

"We knew we had to protect the paint," Miami Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "We started off tentative on the box outs."

Miami's lack of physical play in the post resulted with 24 of Kent State's 41 first half points coming from inside the paint. The Miami zone defense seemed overwhelmed by the lightning quick passing from the Flashes, who quickly jumped out to an early six-point lead.

The 'Hawks were able to finally adjust to Kent State's high powered offense and held a 10-point lead with just under four minutes to play in the first half. However, the Flashes charged up for another an offensive surge of their own and quickly tied the game at 41.

In an effort to gain back some momentum before the end of the first half, the RedHawks quickly pushed the ball up the floor, as Schone found guard Ashley Hawkins who buried a 3-point shot, giving Miami at 44-41 half time lead.

Before the second half was a minute old, the RedHawks ran out to another 10-point lead, scoring the first seven points of the half. However, over the course of the next five minutes, Kent State would pull ahead by one, thanks to a 12-0 run.

The score continued to swing back and forth until foul trouble caught up with Miami. Both Jackson and junior forward Jaclyn Leininger fouled out of the game with less than three minutes left to play, leaving Miami without two of their starters the rest of the way.

"When any one of our starters get into foul trouble we face obstacles," Fantanarosa said. "The others (Miami players) play safer."

The loss of Jackson and Leininger was simply too much for the RedHawks to overcome. The Flashes took their 10-point lead and never looked back.

Despite the final score, Fantanarosa did not see the loss as a negative.

"Even though we lost, I'm optimistic about how we played," Fantanarosa said. "It was the best game we played in the last five."

Jackson's 23 points puts her season total at 496, just 29 points away from breaking Heather Cusick's single-season scoring record of 524, with one regular season game and the postseason left.

"I just try to take it one game at a time," Jackson said. "At this point (the record is) not very important to me." 

Jackson and the rest of the RedHawks must now travel to Bowling Green Wednesday night in their final regular season game.

Bowling Green is ranked 19th in the USA Today national poll, until last Saturday's 70-67 loss to Ohio, Bowling Green had won 29-straight games at home, the nation's longest home winning streak.

"It's perfect if you're an underdog," Fontanarosa said. "We have momentum; we've got confidence."