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A career high 17 points from freshman forward Rachael Hencke was not enough to lift the Miami University women's basketball team out of its recent funk, as Miami fell to the Akron University Zips 68-56 Wednesday night.
The loss for the RedHawks was the fourth in a row and their sixth loss in the last seven games. It drops them to 13-13 overall and 5-8 in the Mid-American Conference.
"This was a very frustrating game," head coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "I feel like in the last two weeks of practice and games we're getting better. Our young players are definitely contributing and we are starting to get sparks from them. You can see that in the hustle points."
One of those young players was Hencke, who scored all of her 17 points in the second half by going 6 of 8 from the field and 5 of 5 from the line after the break.
"I'm definitely in a rhythm," Hencke said. "My teammates have been giving me really good passes, and they set me up so I can score."
Also adding to the stats sheet for the 'Hawks were senior forward Jaclyn Leininger and senior guard Jenna Schone, each with ten points. Schone, however, struggled from the field, going just 4 of 19 for the game. She did not attribute her struggles to Akron's defense or to an elbow she caught in the face five minutes into the game.
"I don't think either of those affected me," Schone said. "I had the looks, and I just didn't knock them down today."
The 'Hawks began the game playing well defensively by forcing 17 first half turnovers, but the offense struggled, shooting just 29 percent from the field. A late 11-7 run by Akron, capped off by a layup from Murphy with two seconds remaining, tied the game at 27 going into the locker room.
The second half saw the Red and White improve their field goal shooting, but the Zips got a big contribution from freshman center Kyle Baumgartner. She tallied 14 second half points, and finished with a double-double, amounting to 17 points and 15 rebounds.
The game went back and forth for the majority of the half, and Miami led 47-46 with eight minutes to play. The Zips would then go on a 12-6 run to grab hold of the game and never looked back on their way to victory.
"Our defense wasn't getting stops and it put a lot of pressure on our offense," Fantanarosa said. "Between our defense and our rebounding, we really weren't effective. One thing I felt good about is that for probably 35 minutes, I felt that we were still right there."
Coach Fantanarosa sang Hencke's praises following the game.
"I think with the more confident that Rachael's getting, having bigger responsibilities and more of a role, she doesn't try to do too much," Fantanarosa said. "There were times when Rachael was able to play behind the player she was guarding and block her shot. There were times when there were bad shots, and Rachael didn't try to do too much and make a big play."
This season has been one of progression for Hencke, as she made her first start of the season in the contest.
"The whole season really has been a learning experience," Hencke said. "Now I'm just starting to feel comfortable and to play much better. I learn new things all the time, and that's really helped me to feel more comfortable."
Next up for the 'Hawks is a road game at Ohio University Feb. 28.
