The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team (8-19, 5-11 in MAC play) will host the Northern Illinois University Huskies (13-15, 6-10 in MAC play) on Wednesday night.
The RedHawks are coming off of a 66-47 loss to the Bowling Green State University Falcons last weekend. That loss pushed them to 10th place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), with a tied conference record with the Akron University Zips.
Saturday’s matchup against the No. 5 Falcons started out close. By the end of the first quarter, Miami was down 13-11. In the second quarter, the Falcons took off, scoring 21 points to the RedHawks’ 11. The third quarter saw the Falcons put up another 23, while the RedHawks could only muster 15. They were unable to close the gap in the fourth quarter, scoring only 11 to the Falcons’ 10.
Miami was led by junior guard Cori Lard, who had a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds. First-year forward Amber Tretter put up 13 points, while graduate student forward Jadyn Scott contributed 10.
Across the state on Saturday, Northern Illinois lost a close battle against the Zips 69-54, the team’s third loss in a row. The Huskies were led by 12 points from redshirt junior guard Sidney McCrea and 11 points from senior forward Brooke Stonebraker.
With their recent loss, the Huskies sit at eighth place in the conference, holding the final spot for MAC tournament contention.
Miami met Northern Illinois earlier this year in DeKalb, Illinois, where the RedHawks lost 58-48. Miami was led that day by Tretter with 14 points as well as first-year guard Lakresha Edwards and junior forward Katey Richason with 11 each.
However, Miami couldn’t complete the comeback from a 12 point deficit at halftime. Despite putting up 21 points to the Huskies’ seven in the third quarter and taking the lead 44-42, the RedHawks fell short in the fourth quarter, putting up four points to the Huskies’ 16.
Northern Illinois was led by 15 points from senior guard Jayden Marable and nine points from McCrea. They outperformed Miami in three-pointers, going 7-18 (38.9%) compared to the RedHawks’ 6-20 (30%). However, Miami outperformed Northern Illinois in rebounds (37 vs. 34) and turnovers (19 vs. 17).
Though the Huskies currently hold a position in the MAC tournament, nothing is guaranteed. Miami shares a conference record (5-11) with Akron, who sits at ninth. Both teams are just one win behind the 6-10 Huskies.
To make the tournament, the RedHawks need this victory against the Huskies and the Ohio University Bobcats this weekend, as well as a Northern Illinois loss to Western Michigan University and an Akron loss to Central Michigan University.
Several things need to happen, but step one is beating the Huskies on Wednesday night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. With both team’s playoff hopes on the line, it is sure to be a thrilling night at Millett.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Read More
Miami tennis swings past Western Michigan to reach the MAC championship
By Kethan Babu | 4 days agoThe Miami RedHawks tennis team won the semifinals of the MAC tournament and will face the Toledo Rockets for the championship
Key takeaways from Miami football’s spring showcase
By Bryan Miller | 4 days agoThe spring season is over for RedHawk football. Bryan Miller breaks down five takeaways following the defending conference champion’s spring showcase.
Miami hockey releases schedule for the 2024-25 season
By Jeffrey Middleton | 5 days agoThe Miami RedHawks hockey team is looking toward the future, and what better way to do that than the release of the 2024-25 regular season and postseason schedule? An overview of next season for the team: