Dominant Offensive Performance Drives Kent State to 77-63 Victory over Miami
By: Jack Mueller
(All Photos Courtesy of Miami Athletics)
The Miami RedHawks dropped their first home game in almost a month on Saturday, losing to Kent State 77-63 at Millett Hall.
Kent State’s offense was dominant. The Golden Flashes shot 53% from the field, and 47% from beyond the arc. Four players ended with more than ten points, with Jenna Batsch leading the way with 19. Bridget Dunn added 13 with just as many rebounds, adding three blocks as well.
“They made every play to beat us.” said Miami Head Coach Glenn Box.
The fourth quarter offense from the visitors was unstoppable. They went 13-17 from the field, scoring 33 points in the final ten minutes. Miami put up 26 of their own, but just couldn’t keep up with the Golden Flashes.
“We just couldn’t get stops in the second half.” said Box.
The RedHawks did all they could to keep pace with their opponents, cutting the lead to as little as two, but the 14-percentage-point difference in field goals made all the difference. Miami had chances, but couldn’t get the ball to fall through the basket. The RedHawks made just three three-pointers on 18 attempts. The 16.7% percentage is their lowest mark of the year to date.
“We had looks, the ball just didn’t go in.” said Box.
Maya Chandler led her team in scoring with 18, adding three steals on the other side of the ball. Enjulina Gonzalez added 17 of her own, making 63% of her shots.
Amber Tretter registered her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 12 and pulling down 11 rebounds. Ilse De Vries struggled on offense (5 pts, 1-6 FG), but made an impact defensively, blocking four shots.
How it Happened
Neither team started well on offense. The two teams shot a combined 5-19 from the field in the first seven minutes of play. After the media timeout, Kent State started heating up. Two threes from Bridget Dunn and eight points from Dionna Gray gave their team a 16-8 at the end of the first quarter.
They continued their momentum to kick off the second period. Mya Babbitt connected for Kent State’s fourth three of the day, and Janae Tyler found space for a layup. Enjulina Gonzalez and Ilse De Vries ended the run with six straight points to cut the lead to seven.
They continued to chip away at the deficit, this time through a Maya Chandler three and Amber Tretter jumper to cut the lead to two. Minutes later, the lead had ballooned back up to nine after five points for Tatiana Thomas and a reverse layup by Jenna Batsch. Miami was held scoreless for the last three minutes of the half, allowing Kent State to take control.
Chandler and Tretter got the second half started positively for the RedHawks, scoring on Miami’s first two possessions to make it a four point game. Enjulina Gonzalez made it 30-28 with just under eight minutes to play, but 14-3 Kent State run opened up a 15-point deficit just minutes later. Four straight points from Gonzalez and a putback layup from Chandler at the buzzer made a dent in the lead, but the RedHawks entered the fourth trailing 44-37.
The two teams traded buckets as the game sped up in the final period. Kent State extended the lead to ten after outscoring Miami 13-10 in the first five minutes of the fourth. Another Batsch three gave Kent State their largest lead of the game as the clock ticked under five minutes.
The RedHawk refused to go down without a fight though. Four straight points from Richason, followed by buckets from Gonzalez and Singer made it a seven point game. Tretter then added three more on an and-one to cut the lead to six, but Batsch made another three to keep the lead at nine.
The visitors were able to hold on from there, as Dionna Gray found space in the paint for two more to make it 71-59 with under two minutes to play. From there, Miami ran out of time, and the visitors were able to hold on for a 14-point victory on the road.
Up Next.
Miami falls to 11-7 with the loss, and 4-4 in conference play. The RedHawks are still right in the mix for a tournament berth, as they are one of seven teams with a .500 or better record. Despite falling short, Box has eyes on the future.
“It’s one game in January. All of our goals are still ahead of us.” said Box.
The RedHawks will have a chance to get back on track on Wednesday, as they head north to take on Toledo. The Rockets are 13-5 on the season (5-3 MAC) and are coming off a 80-68 victory over Bowling Green.