March 11, 2008

Box Score

CLEVELAND - In its opener of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Miami University's women's basketball team defeated Western Michigan, 65-60, in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament to advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Senior forward Laura Markwood scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, her ninth double-double of the season, while frontcourt counterpart junior center Stephanie Ford scored eight points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Both teams were cold to start the game as Miami hit just one of its opening 12 shots and Western Michigan hit 3-of-13 shots. The Broncos held a 14-6 lead at the 9:35 mark, but a 7-0 run over the next 1:47 quickly brought Miami within one point, 13-14. Miami grabbed its first lead of the game, 17-16, after sophomore forward Chanell Ridley hit two free throws with 6:11 to play. One tie and two lead changes ensued with the last being at 23-23, until a pull-up baseline jumper by junior guard Ashley Hawkins and a lay-up by Ford pushed the RedHawks ahead, 27-23. Two free throws by the Broncos with 2:01 remaining made the score 29-28 in favor of the RedHawks, before senior guard Amanda Jackson hit a jumper in the lane to send Miami into the half with a 31-28 lead.

After opening up 1-of-12 from the field, the RedHawks shot 11-of-22 the remainder of the half. Markwood led Miami with nine points at the break.

Both teams scored at a feverish pace in the opening minutes of the second half, but Miami could not extend its lead past five points and Western Michigan could not tie or take the lead. Miami led 43-42 with 11:26 on the clock, before Ridley banked in a jumper, Markwood hit a free throw and Jackson nailed a three from the right wing to extend the RedHawk lead to seven points, 49-42, with just over nine minutes remaining. An 8-0 run by the Broncos gave Western Michigan its first lead of the half, 50-49, with 7:44, but Jackson and Markwood hit back-to-back buckets in the paint to but Miami back on top, 53-50. Miami went scoreless from the field over the final 6:50, but the RedHawks went 12-of-13 from the line in the final seven minutes and the Broncos only scored 10 points during that stretch as Miami advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals with a 65-60 win.

Markwood led Miami with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Jackson scored 17 points and tied a career-high with seven steals. With her seven steals, Jackson became the second player in MAC history to score 1,800 points, grab 500 rebounds, and register 300 assists and 300 steals in a career.

The RedHawks play the winner of the Ball State/Toledo game at noon on Friday, March 14 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.