It took only a minute and a half for Miami to spoil Ohio's hopes of a season sweep in the Battle of the Bricks series between the two archrivals.
Leading 43-38 with 7:25 remaining in the contest, the Bobcats were victims of a 10-0 RedHawk run and never recovered in a 60-56 defeat at Miami.
We just got a five-point lead and then started to turn the ball over
coach Lynn Bria said. We had three straight turnovers that really killed us. They gained the momentum and got their confidence back and it turned out to be the difference in the game.
Despite never regaining its lead after the Miami run, Ohio (7-17, 4-9 Mid-American Conference) kept within striking distance all the way to the finish.
A Quintana Ward floater brought the `Cats within three with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but the RedHawks ability to answer each Bobcat score with one of their own proved to be the difference.
Miami forward Amber Miller converted a lay-up with :09 remaining, giving the RedHawks (8-16, 3-10 MAC) a decisive six-point advantage and sealing the Bobcats' fate.
From the beginning, it looked as if the matchup between two MAC foes was going to be an actual battle of the bricks.
Both squads struggled to find the bottom of the net in the opening frame, with Ohio shooting 26 percent and Miami 23 percent from the field, resulting in a 19-19 tie at the end of the first half.
Guard Rachel Frederick led all scorers with 14 points and collected her team-leading fifth double-double of the season by adding 10 rebounds.
Bria said that she has been impressed with the freshman's consistency on the court.
She played a nice game for us she said. Rachel's just been steady for us all year
and she brings it every game for us.
Forward Domenica Silva and Ward were the only other Bobcat players to reach double figures with 13 and 11, respectively.
After being sidelined for the previous six games because of an ankle injury, Ohio's leading scorer Simone Redd made her return in the loss.
In 24 minutes of action, Redd netted seven points and collected five rebounds.
Bria said she was pleased with Redd's efforts, especially in the second half.
I thought she struggled a little bit in the first half and was a little rusty
Bria said, but in the second half she really gave us a lift. She was a really big reason why we had that five-point cushion in the second half. She did a nice job for us.
The Bobcats will be back in action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they return to the Convo and face Buffalo.
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Andrew Gribble
