For the eighth time this season, the Miami University women's basketball team failed to win back-to-back games, this time falling to Ohio University (OU) 69-56, a team that is tied for last place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division.
The Red and White entered Tuesday's matchup against OU looking to continue their success from their previous game against University of Buffalo, but it was not meant to be as only one of the RedHawks' leading scorers, sophomore guard Maggie Boyer, scored in double figures.
"Our game plan was good for about 30 of the 40 minutes, but we failed to execute at the end of the game," Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "We stopped rebounding at the end of the game and that really hurt us."
In addition, Miami's leading scorer, freshman guard Courtney Osborn, injured her shoulder in the first half against OU, and is day to day at this point. Osborn is a vital part to this team and Fantanarosa plans to use Osborn as soon as she is ready to play.
"(Osborn's) injury hurt us a lot because our guards were tired toward the end of the second half and it led to late turnovers," Fantanarosa said. "I was disappointed with the loss to (Ohio) but I realize it is a rivalry game and it is also a very tough place to play. We need to be able to go deep into our rotation to avoid fatigue in the tournament, and we also need to get sparks off of the bench."
Freshman forward Kirsten Olowinski led the RedHawks with 13 points to go with five rebounds. Meanwhile, senior guard Ashleigh Brown continued her offensive success pitching in 12 points and five boards.
"I have tried to lead by example this year, and I tell myself if I can walk the walk, then I can talk the talk," Brown said. "We have continued to focus on the fundamentals such as boxing out and on our transition game, and we need to continue to take every game one at a time."
This game marks the second straight game Brown has scored in double figures, as she tries to lead the Red and White to a MAC Title in her senior season.
"(Brown) is playing with a senior sense of urgency, as she realizes the importance of each game," Fantanarosa said. "Her experience keeps her mindset competitive and it gave her a lot of easy (scoring) opportunities against Ohio."
Miami played well in the first half and went into the half tied at 29 thanks to a late three pointer by junior guard Briana Dunlap. It was a back and forth struggle after that as OU took at 50-45 lead with 9:37 remaining. The Red and White cut the Bobcats' lead to three with under five minutes left, but two consecutive three pointers by OU was enough to hold off the RedHawks.
The loss drops Miami to 8-19 overall and 6-8 in the MAC. However, even with the loss Miami was still able to clinch a first round home game for the MAC Tournament, which begins Saturday, March 6.
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Next up for the Red and White will be the University of Akron Zips this Saturday, before wrapping up their season at home Tuesday night against Bowling Green State University. Tipoff for Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m. at Rhodes Arena in Akron.
"Akron is what is on our minds," Fantanarosa said. "They play good defense and they are a very physical team. We need to put a solid game together on offense to give ourselves a chance to win."
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