Junior guard Courtney Osborn has led the way for the RedHawks offensively and defensively this season, leading the team in scoring, assists and steals. Osborn had six steals and four assists Sunday afternoon against Ohio University. (JESSI THORNE | The Miami Student)
Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." And lately, the only thing the Miami University women's basketball team has done is win.
After a 67-47 victory in Athens, Ohio over Ohio University (OU) in Part I of the "Battle of the Bricks," the RedHawks have now improved their record to 14-3 and a perfect 4-0 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.
Senior guard Maggie Boyer scored 15 points to lead the 'Hawks as they picked up their 10th straight victory. Sophomore guard Hannah Robertson added 12 points and twin sister Haley Robertson dropped in 10 points to help carry the scoring load as the team's leading scorer, junior guard Courtney Osborn, was held to only six points. Osborn was the focus of the OU defense but found other ways to burn the Bobcats, grabbing six steals and picking up four assists.
"Osborn did a really good job of spreading the ball around and finding open people," Hannah Robertson said. "OU did a good job defensively on her, but that helped to open things up for me and my teammates."
Miami spotted the Bobcats four points in the first two minutes before going on a 10-0 run to start the game and followed by a 13-2 run capped off with a jumper by junior forward Rachel Hencke to push the score to 25-9 with 9:10 left in the half.
"Everyone was patient with the ball today," Robertson said. "We were able to hit the open player and make easy passes that led into good shots."
The RedHawks hounded the Bobcats defensively, holding them to 28 percent shooting during the first half and causing seven turnovers. A Hannah Robertson jumper gave Miami it's biggest lead of the day with the score 33-13 at 5:45, and the OU faithful at the Convocation Center were very quiet.
The scoreboard read 36-22 as the buzzer sounded for halftime and the 'Hawks headed into the locker room with only 20 minutes separating them from a double-digit win streak.
"We were able to keep OU out of the lane and prevent their scorers from getting easy points," Osborn said. "And our focus this whole year has been ending our defensive possessions with rebounding and boxing out and we were able to execute that."
The second half saw the Bobcats claw their way back and cut the lead to 12 with 17:12 remaining.
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But the RedHawks would never let them get any closer. After another 13-2 run, sparked by a pair of three pointers from Osborn and Boyer, the game was well out of reach.
The 'Hawks took their biggest lead of the night at 64-40 after a layup by junior forward Kirsten Olowinski and cruised to another victory, picking up their fourth win on the road.
"Every game we have new people step up for us in roles that they haven't done so far," Osborn said. "It's been great to see everyone step up and that's going to help us as we continue."
The RedHawks return to Millett Hall 7 p.m. Thursday to take on Bowling Green State University in the "Pack the House" game, as they look to continue their winning ways.
The Falcons come to Oxford sporting the only other spotless MAC record (4-0) and will offer a true test for the 'Hawks.
"We're excited about this game, but we're not going to change who we are and how we play just because Bowling Green comes in with a good record," Osborn said. "We're going to focus on what we can control and play hard."
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