The Miami University women's basketball team outlasted the University of Akron on Wednesday night, securing a hard fought 66-62 victory.
There were a total of 12 lead changes during the back and forth contest.
Sophomore Kendall McCoy came out firing in the first quarter, hitting her first three shots to propel the RedHawks to a 13-6 advantage heading into the first media timeout. From there, the Zips quickly regained their footing, closing the quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 19-17 lead.
After early lead changes to start the second quarter, the Red and White were able to take control behind the scoring of junior forward Molly McDonagh, who poured in seven points in the frame to give the squad a 36-29 lead heading into halftime.
Akron jumped out on a 9-2 run in the third quarter to even things up at 38-all. McCoy briefly halted the momentum with a three-pointer, but the Zips could not be held back as they closed the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 51-48 lead after 30 minutes of play.
Both teams went back and forth during the final quarter. With 35 seconds left, MU found themselves down 60-59 before McCoy hit a three-pointer to give the 'Hawks the lead for good.
The Zips got the game within one with eight seconds left, but junior guard Kayla Brown knocked down three from the foul line to secure the 66-62 road win.
With the win, Miami improves to 10-18 (4-11 MAC) while Akron falls to 9-17 (2-13 MAC). The RedHawks swept the Zips for the season series for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.
McCoy and freshman Lauren Dickerson each had 17 points, while Brown added 11 for MU. Senior guard Hannah Plybon led Akron with 14 points.
Foul shooting made all the difference in the contest, as the 'Hawks shot 13-of-16 from the charity stripe while the Zips converted on just 7-of-14.
The Red and White have now won three of their last five contests since ending their six-game losing skid. The team has just three regular season games left until conference tournament play begins. The RedHawks will need to win during the tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.
Miami now looks to win its second straight road game as the squad travels to Athens to square off against intrastate rival Ohio University on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
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