Miami releases the women’s basketball schedule

The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team laid dormant for several years. Following a 23-9 season in 2018-19 – head coach Megan Duffy’s last year in Oxford – the RedHawks posted five-straight years with records under .500 and went through two coaching changes.

Last season, Miami snapped this streak and posted its best record in six years, going 19-12 and reaching the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament.

Head coach Glenn Box, who now enters his third year at Miami, said the team accomplished plenty in 2024-25, but it left more on the table. The RedHawks fell in the first round of the MAC tournament 68-61 to the Kent State University Golden Flashes, a team they had faced twice in the regular season.

“We took another big step forward with our program,” Box said. “We didn’t accomplish all of our goals, however. I felt like there was definitely more left in the tank … Moving forward into this year, I think we’ve taken a step in regards to recruiting. I feel as though we have some really solid kids that are going to continue to move this program forward.”

Five players entered the transfer portal last season, and an additional three graduated. Notably, the team will be without Enjulina Gonzalez, a now-University of Georgia Bulldog and the RedHawks’ leading scorer in 2024-25.

Despite the holes on the roster, Miami’s coaching staff utilized the transfer portal to bring in five players. Box said their previous collegiate experience will prove beneficial to the RedHawks, especially once conference play begins.

“Right now, I feel as though we hit a home run out of the portal,” Box said. “The kids that we have brought in, they all have done it and have scored and have contributed [with] their previous team. They bring in a lot of experience. For them, it’s a new situation … It’s an opportunity for them to be a part of something that’s pretty special.”

One transfer player, redshirt junior forward Brooke Blumenfeld, has experience in both collegiate basketball as a whole and with the MAC specifically. Blumenfeld arrived in Oxford after playing three seasons with the Northern Illinois University Huskies. She averaged 9.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season.

Redshirt junior guard Macie Taylor transferred in from a local program. The former Wright State University Raider averaged 7.8 points and shot .329 on 3-pointers in 2024-25.

The RedHawks landed a significant offensive weapon in senior guard Amber Scalia, who averaged 14.8 points at the University of St. Thomas last season, good for second on the roster. Scalia also led the team with 56 triples made on 154 shots (.364).

The new faces on the team, including freshmen guards Anna Hurst and Mio Sakano, will shake up Miami’s roster ahead of the season opener in early November. Junior guard Núria Jurjo said she appreciates the work that the new players have done in the preseason so far.

“The new players help us a lot,” Jurjo said. “Nowadays [with] the transfer portal, everyone is leaving. Trying to build a culture is probably more difficult, but I think we’re doing a great job. The new teammates we have, I think they’re really good, and I really enjoy being with them … We’re friends, we’re not only teammates.”

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The RedHawks open their 2025-26 campaign on the road against Coastal Carolina University on Nov. 3. Later that week, Miami will play its first game at Millett Hall and welcome Cedarville University on Nov. 7.

Miami’s early schedule includes a trip to Purdue University, whom the RedHawks lost 67-51 last year. At the end of November, the RedHawks will compete in the Paradise Jam, a tournament in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Those who are missing their Battle for the Victory Bell can take a trip to the University of Cincinnati on Dec. 3 for the women’s basketball team’s first matchup against the Bearcats since 2019.

Following their final non-conference matchup, the RedHawks will close out the year with their fourth matchup against Kent State in 2025 on Dec. 31.

The MAC slate doesn’t get any easier; Miami next faces the University of Toledo Rockets, who finished at No. 3 in the conference, on Jan. 3. Junior forward Amber Tretter said the team hopes to find success in the non-conference slate to prepare for the tough MAC matchups early in the new year.

“Our non-conference schedule prepares us the most for that,” Tretter said. “We’re playing a lot of good teams within our non-conference, and I think that will help us prepare to get a head start going into the conference, especially starting off with some of those teams. But I also think the MAC has kind of opened up a lot this year … Almost every team is going to be different, but I’m excited to go into those.”

The January schedule includes back-to-back games against the top-two teams in the MAC. The RedHawks first welcome the No. 2 University of Buffalo Bulls to Millett on Jan. 21. Three days later, they travel to the No. 1 Ball State University Cardinals, who won the conference championship over Toledo.

The Ohio University Bobcats will visit Oxford for a Battle of the Bricks matchup on Jan. 31. Millett will also witness the second game of the season against Ball State on Feb. 21, as well as another matchup with Kent State on March 4.

Box said that he takes the season individually, focusing solely on the team’s upcoming matchup. However, he said if the RedHawks want to make it back to Cleveland in March, they need to continue building a strong foundation off the court.

“From a culture standpoint, [we need] to continue to bring in solid kids,” Box said. “Kids that are secure in who they are as people, kids who have a tremendous amount of gratitude for where we are and the opportunity that this presents and kids who have tremendous buy-in. When you have those three things, you’re usually gonna have a good chance.”

Miami made its first appearance since 2018-19 at the MAC tournament last season. As Box enters his third year at the helm, he said he wants to improve the team one week at a time enroute to his ultimate goal: winning the MAC championship for the first time in program history.

Until then, the RedHawks are counting down the days until the 2025-26 officially begins at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 3.

“I can’t look super far ahead because you don’t know what your team’s gonna look like three months from now,” Box said. “There’s just so many factors that come into play. Some kids tap out, some kids have injuries. There’s so many things. I do think each day brings about a new experience that will take these kids into the future … I’m trying to win each game. I’m trying to be better every day.”

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babukc2@miamioh.edu