CLEVELAND – After a day of rest, the Miami University women’s basketball team (27-6) came out storming offensively against a familiar foe, the Ohio University Bobcats, in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) semifinals at Rocket Mortgage Arena.
Miami’s 80-52 victory in the third edition of the Battle of the Bricks this season will send the RedHawks to the MAC championship on March 14 for the first time in 18 years.
The initial back-and-forth battle shifted in Miami’s favor halfway through the first quarter. After the Bobcats took an 8-7 lead, the RedHawks went on a 17-6 run and went into the second quarter up 24-13. From that point, they didn't look back, outscoring Ohio in every subsequent quarter.
“It’s a beautiful game when it’s played right [and] when you have everyone working in synchronization,” said head coach Glenn Box in the postgame press conference. “You definitely felt that today, and this of all games is a very difficult game to have that feeling with how they play. It’s not every day you’re hitting on all cylinders; we know we had some turnovers, but we did some really good things on both sides.”
Senior guard Amber Scalia led the roster with 22 points, thanks to a 5-7 (71.4%) 3-point shooting performance, her third-best of the season. Senior guard Clara Gonzalez Planella played her best game of the season with 17 points, while Tretter added another double-double to her resume with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The RedHawks sank 16 3-pointers, their second-most of the season after they made 17 against Ohio on Jan. 31. Miami closed out the regular season going 1-1 with the Bobcats after a defeat in Athens on March 7, making the semifinal game an anticipated rematch for the team.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
“I think that loss helped us be more prepared for this one,” junior forward Amber Tretter said. “We had a really good film session where we were really talking, we had players asking questions, coaches really on point about how to execute. Going into it, we were all really together and knew what we needed to do.”
Miami’s forward duo of Tretter and sophomore Ilse de Vries established a physical tone early. In the first half, Tretter grabbed eight rebounds, including repeated putback baskets underneath, while De Vries grabbed two rebounds early in the game as the RedHawks dominated on both sides of the ball.
After a close start to the quarter, Miami exploded from behind the arch; De Vries and Planella both nailed two from long range, and Tretter and Scalia also converted from deep.
For the Bobcats, a bulk of the offense would come courtesy of redshirt sophomore guard Monica Williams, who scored nine points from behind the arc. Graduate student forward Elli Garnett finished the half with four, but the RedHawks stifled the Bobcat offense and held them to 23% from the floor.
The guard duo of sophomore Tamar Singer and junior Núria Jurj operated the Miami offense leading up to halftime. Although they did not contribute heavily to the scoring (three and two points, respectively), they were responsible for the offensive explosion with a combined 11 assists.
The RedHawks would take a 48-24 advantage into the halftime break with Tretter’s 12 points and nine rebounds leading the charge. Scalia put on an impressive offensive performance as well, splashing in two deep triples and drawing fouls on her way to the basket. Gonzales and De Vries finished the half with nine points each. The RedHawks committed 12 turnovers, but that would serve as the only critique of the potent Miami offense.
The barrage continued from behind the arc in the second half. Gonzalez and Scalia finished the day with five 3-point baskets.
“When somebody shoots it, you’re motivated to keep shooting it.” Gonzales said. “We are hyped when someone makes it. It’s all about confidence.”
Tretter continued to dominate inside the paint, achieving her double-double by the third quarter and tallying five assists in a well-rounded effort that allowed the RedHawks to take control of the game.
“We knew that we can rebound heavily especially because they play a lot of zone,” Tretter said. “Trying to get those extra rebounds turns into extra points and turns into even getting defensive stops because they stop in transition.”
Box pulled his starters and turned to the bench early in the fourth quarter. Freshman guard Anna Hurst stepped in for six minutes where she nailed a 3-pointer, and redshirt freshman forward Emily Vantimmeren added another two points. Regardless of who was on the court, the RedHawks kept their foot on the gas until the final buzzer.
Williams’ 18 points would be the only double-digit performance from the Bobcats. Miami held them to 28.4% in the field and 13.8% from range. The RedHawks also outrebounded Ohio 47 to 41.
Miami will look to carry its success into the MAC championship game tomorrow at 11 a.m. A win would send the RedHawks to the NCAA tournament. The RedHawks will face the University of Toledo Rockets (17-14) at Rocket Mortgage Arena.
Read More
University Senate provides updates on inclusion programs and department merger
By Kylie Bunn | 9 hours agoThe University Senate reflected on its role in shared governance, provided updates on the Miami Access Program and discussed the merger of the Department of Microbiology and Department of Biology during its March 9 meeting.
PHOTOS: The future of The Miami Student
By Sarah Frosch and Elise Hanna | 11 hours agoThe Miami Student Newspaper's senior staff produces their last newspaper before the new staff transitions in and takes over.
Midseason review: Miami baseball team chases back-to-back MAC titles
By Graham Young | 11 hours agoMiami baseball is now in conference play and is looking to win the Mid-American-Conference (MAC) tournament for a second year in a row.