Refocused women’s basketball takes first game in the MAC tournament over Kent State

The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team captured its first postseason victory with a 65-58 win over the Kent State University Golden Flashes at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament. The RedHawks are set to face the Ohio University Bobcats at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on March 13.

The Redhawks captured the MAC regular season crown after a home win against Kent State on March 4. It was the first regular season title for Miami in 22 years.

Miami wrapped up its regular season on March 7 with a 77-62 loss to Ohio, setting the stage for a rematch in Cleveland.

The Redhawks won every home game this year too, going 14-0 at Millett Hall. They are now preparing for a three-game run this weekend to send them to March Madness. The RedHawks haven’t made the dance since 2008: the last time they won the MAC championship.

After a 19-12 season and first round exit in the MAC tournament last year, the 2025-26 MAC Coach of the Year Glenn Box came into this season with a vengeance. The RedHawks lost three seniors and another five players to the transfer portal last season, but they had a whole offseason to get to work and make sure they improved upon last season.

“This team has come really, really far,” Box said. “It takes time to get kids truly immersed and buy in, and we’ve done that.”

This gave the chance for sophomore guard Tamar Singer to get a year of experience under her belt and grow into the position of starting guard this year, along with sophomore forward Ilse de Vries.

Singer leads the team in assists per game (7.1), steals per game (2.7) and free throw percentage, shooting 86.7% from the line. She was also named to the All-MAC Third Team.

De Vries was named to the All-MAC Third Team as well. She averages nearly two blocks per game, leading the MAC, along with averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.

Junior forward Amber Tretter took on a bigger role this season, leading the team in points per game (14.2) and rebounds per game (8.0) while shooting 50.9% from the field.

“I think my development has improved significantly, especially from freshman year,” Tretter said. “But also developing players beside me like Tamar,Ilsa and Nurjo that have been here for multiple years, and we learn how to play with each other.”

The RedHawks took some time after their loss to Ohio to reset ahead of their biggest test yet. The MAC tournament has major implications towards the national tournament, with an auto-bid going to the winner of the conference tournament.

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“We had a wake-up call last game,” Box said. “We needed the last couple days to kind of regroup and get ourselves back together.”

The RedHawks look to cap off a historic season and continue their dominance in the conference once more against Ohio. If they defeat the Bobcats in the semifinals, they will face either Ball State University or the University of Toledo.

mccartd6@miamioh.edu