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RedHawks win tight matchup at Bowling Green

Miami women's basketball traveled to face Bowling Green on Saturday, and came away from the Stroh Center with their third straight road victory, winning 66-62.

Entering the game with a 5-6 record away from home, the RedHawks (14-8, 6-5 MAC) were considered favorites over a struggling Falcons (10-12, 2-9 MAC) squad that sits second to last in the Mid-American Conference East. However, neither the 'Hawks nor BGSU could pull away by more than five points during the entire game.

Sophomore guard Lauren Dickerson dominated the first-half highlights by scoring 22 of her 24 total points in the first 20 minutes of the game. She has reached or eclipsed the 20-point mark in six of the last seven games.

Miami carried a 33-32 lead into the break.

Once again, Dickerson's first half performance forced the opposing team to manage her. In the second half, she dished out six assists, while junior guard Leah Purvis and sophomore forward Savannah Kluesner stepped up as Dickerson went cold from the field. Purvis and Kluesner combined for 20 of the team's 33 second-half points.

On a day where Miami only managed to shoot 38 percent from the field, it was its shooting ability that pushed the RedHawks ahead of the Falcons in the end.

Down to the wire, the game remained close and Bowling Green found themselves ahead 62-61 with 51 seconds left on the clock. With the shot clock expiring, Purvis drained a deep step-back three to put the 'Hawks up 64-62.

This proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Falcons, who had previously done well shutting down some of MU's best scoring options in the second half.

Kluesner had a strong performance on both ends of the court, scoring 12 points with eight rebounds and four steals on the day.

The RedHawks have also done well limiting turnovers of late. Coming off of a game against Ohio University where they gave away the ball 27 times, Miami only had 13 against NIU and nine against BGSU in its past two games. Regardless, the RedHawks are on a four-game winning streak and are coming into their own for the final push of the season.

The Red & White return to Millett Hall on Wednesday to take on Toledo, for National Girls and Women in Sport Night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN3.

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