A lot has changed since the last time the Miami women’s basketball team suited up against Northern Illinois.
On Jan. 8, the RedHawks beat the Huskies, 66-64, at Millett Hall, giving them their first win in the Mid-American Conference.
It would be almost a month before they’d get another one.
After picking up the home win against the Huskies, Miami proceeded to lose five games in a row. During the losing streak, the RedHawks gave up 76.8 points per contest, while scoring only 64.6 points per game.
A victory against Bowling Green gave Miami its first MAC win in more than three weeks. Following the victory, the team won two of its next three, all in the friendly confines of Millett Hall.
The recent stretch of games has moved the team into fourth in the MAC East with a 4-7 conference record.
The offense turned things around for the RedHawks. In its previous four games, the team has scored 82 points per game, including a season-high 92 in its win against Toledo last Wednesday.
In their last meeting with Northern Illinois, senior forward Savannah Kluesner stepped up for the RedHawks. Kluesner had 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, leading the team in all three statistics. Coming off a career-high 35 point performance against Central Michigan on Saturday, Kluesner should be ready to go against the Huskies.
Players to Watch
The senior duo of Kluesner and guard Lauren Dickerson has carried the load for the RedHawks. Dickerson recently became the second player in program history to reach 2,000 points in a career, and she’s now just 112 points away from breaking Courtney Osborn’s record of 2,166 career points. During Kluesner’s career-high scoring day, Dickerson also had a career high with 12 assists, many of them setting up Kluesner buckets. With Kluesner and Dickerson on the floor, the RedHawks are in good hands.
SCOUTING REPORT
The Game
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Tipoff: 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Convocation Center
TV: ESPN+
MIAMI REDHAWKS
Record: 11-12, 4-7 MAC
Offense: 72.0 ppg
Defense: 72.4 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player (position, height, key stat)
Lauren Dickerson (guard, 5’3”, 16.7 ppg)
Peyton Scott (guard, 5’8”, 12.6 ppg)
Kenzie Schmitz (guard, 5’10”, 2.6 ppg)
Abbey Hoff (forward, 6’0”, 45.9 3pt%)
Savannah Kluesner (forward, 6’2”, 15.2 ppg)
NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES
Record: 7-14, 3-7 MAC
Offense: 65.5 ppg
Defense: 71.7 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player (position, height, key stat)
Courtney Woods (forward, 6’0”, 18.4 ppg)
Myia Starks (guard, 5’4”, 7.2 ppg)
Gabby Nikitinaite (guard, 5’11”, 7.7 ppg)
Ally May (forward, 6’2”, 5.9 rpg)
Riley Blackwell (forward, 6’1”, 6.1 ppg)
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