Miami defeats OU in Largest Margin of Victory in Series History
By: Jack Mueller
(All Photos Courtesy of: Chris Vogt / The Report)
The Miami RedHawks ended their two-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating Ohio 72-34 in front of a packed house at Millett Hall. The victory was Miami’s fifth in Mid-American Conference play, and reaffirmed their place as a contender to end the regular season with a MAC tournament appearance.
“We needed to bounce back in a big way and we did it.” said Head Coach Glenn Box.
38 points is the largest margin of victory in the history of the Battle of the Bricks matchup between these two teams.
Enjulina Gonzalez continued to make her case as a competitor for the conference player of the year. The sophomore guard scored 23 points, and added six rebounds and four steals en route to a dominant win for the RedHawks. Gonzalez currently sits at 3rd in the MAC in scoring (16.9), and 2nd in three-point percentage (44%).
“If I had to go out there and score 30, I was going to go out there and score 30, If I had to get someone else started I was going to get someone else started,” said Gonzalez.
The RedHawks’ first half performance says it all. Miami went into the break with a 16 point lead, largely due to their team defense. Ohio made just six field goals in the first 20 minutes, out of 30 attempts. On the other end, Maya Chandler led the way with 15 points in the first two periods.
Miami may be short-handed going forward though, as freshman guard Emily Bratton left the game after a hard landing under the basket. Box said that the team was awaiting MRI results that would determine her future.
“We were really looking to let her roll… This was her coming out party.” said Box, “Hopefully we can get her back soon”
How it Happened
The visitors got off to a dream start, as they recovered from an early turnover to score on back-to-back possessions to take an early 4-0 lead. The game flipped on it’s head from there, with Miami going on a 9-0 run to claim the lead after the first period.
The run continued into the second quarter. Seven points from Maya Chandler and a Gonzalez layup made it a 14-point game after just 90 seconds. The RedHawks held Ohio scoreless for over eight minutes, putting together an 18-0 run in the process. Bailey Tabeling ended the run for Ohio with a three pointer to cut the lead to 20-9.
The run might’ve ended, but Miami’s offensive production didn’t. Chandler connected on her second three of the day to make it 25-11. Anyssa Jones responded with a three of her own for Ohio, but Chandler came right back with another triple.
The halftime break did little to slow down Miami. Gonzalez scored 13 of Miami’s 15 points to start the second half, giving her team a 45-22 lead after just five minutes. Both teams only managed two more points in the period, before Cori Lard connected from three to send Miami into the final period leading 51-24.
Guess who got the scoring started in the fourth? Yep, it was Chandler and Gonzalez who connected on back-to-back shots to give Miami a thirty point lead within the first three minutes of the final quarter. A three from Ilse De Vries and a Tamar Singer layup got their team to the 60-point mark. Six points from Camille Jackson and two Lakresha Edwards threes put the finishing touches on a dominant all-around performance for Box’s team.
Up Next
The RedHawks, now 12-8, will host their second consecutive conference game on Wednesday night, when the Eastern Michigan Eagles travel to Oxford to face Miami. It hasn’t been a season to write home about for EMU, who have just one win on the season and haven’t been victorious since December 1st.