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RedHawks roll, stay perfect through three games

Ricky Lindsay - Detroit Mercy Athletics
Ricky Lindsay - Detroit Mercy Athletics

Miami (3-0) picked up two victories last week despite an unfortunate injury in last Tuesday's win over Eastern Kentucky.

Standout senior forward Kendall McCoy, who was named to the All-Mid-American Conference East team in the preseason, suffered a left-ankle injury early in the second quarter against EKU. McCoy had six points from two three-pointers until she went down.

"Our big game plan was to get the ball inside," head coach Megan Duffy said after the game. "But they were physical. I just thought there was a battle down low, and there wasn't much fluidity because we were trying to get the ball inside. We just talked about, 'let's get paint touches,' no matter what that means."

Despite the physical matchup, the 'Hawks were able to pull away from the Colonels in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 18-4 and securing the 60-44 victory.

The Red & White looked to replicate the game plan against Detroit Mercy on Friday night, again without McCoy which led to career-high nights from two different players.

Junior forward Savannah Kluesner led all Miami players with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting. She had shown flashes of dominance and an ability to score in the post, but her performance Friday proves she can lead the RedHawks.

Junior forward Abbey Hoff, after being sidelined for the entirety of last season with an injury, dropped 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in just 20 minutes on the floor.

The game was tied at 12-12 with two minutes left in the first quarter, but the 'Hawks scored 19 unanswered points and established a lead the Titans wouldn't recover from.

Still early in the season, Miami has shown its ability to dominate on both ends of the floor to blow games wide-open. It's something Miami hopes to continue as it has aspirations to return to the MAC tournament in Cleveland after losing 61-58 to Central Michigan in the semifinals.

Tonight, the RedHawks host High Point University for the annual Goals for Life game. Millett Hall will be rocking, as Miami will welcome nearly 1,000 local middle school students. Tip-off is at noon.

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*Due to travel, the team could not be reached for comment.