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March 9, 2010
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Osborn Named MAC Freshman of the Year; Olowinski Joins her on All-Freshman Team

OXFORD, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced its annual postseason awards on Tuesday. After a fantastic rookie season, Courtney Osborn (Fishers, Ind.) was named the MAC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-MAC Third Team and the All-MAC Freshman team, where she was joined by fellow RedHawk rookie Kirsten Olowinski (Erie, Pa.).

Osborn is the first MAC Freshman of the Year in Miami history. She and Olowinski are the first RedHawks to make the All-Freshman Team since Jenna Schone did it in 2006. The only other time in school history that Miami had two players on the All-Freshman Team was in 1992 when both Lisa Hayden and Monica Niemann received the honor.

Osborn has had not just the best freshman season in Miami history, but one of the best seasons overall in school history. She has been the RedHawks’ leading scorer in 17 of the team’s 30 contests, while averaging an impressive 16.8 points per game. The 503 points she has scored through 30 games ranks fifth on the Miami single-season scoring list. She is also adapting to her role as the starting point guard, averaging 4.1 assists per game. That included a career-high eight assists in the Jan. 30 game at Central Michigan.

Her career high in points came against Buffalo on Jan. 6 when she recorded the 19th 30-point effort in RedHawk history. That performance featured 11-for-17 shooting, including 5-for-8 from the three-point line. Other top performances included scoring 29 against Miami (Jan. 2), 26 against Wright State (Dec. 9), 25 against Appalachian State (Nov. 28) and 23 against Bowling Green (Mar. 2).

“Courtney is a great player,” said head coach Maria Fantanarosa. “She is hard working, competitive and a student of the game. She has taken on a lot of responsibility as a freshman point guard and has led our team on both ends of the court. This is a good honor for Courtney and a positive sign for the future of our program.”

Osborn was previously honored as MAC East Division Player of the Week on Nov. 30. She has 71 three-point baskets, which leads the team and ranks fifth on the Miami single-season list. She also leads the team with 74 steals, which is just outside the top-10 on the RedHawk single-season list.

Olowinski has really come on strong the second half of the season. After coming off the bench for most games during the first half of the year, the coaching staff decided to move her into the starting lineup against Western Michigan (Feb. 6). She rewarded their decision by recording a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Broncos. It was her second double-double of the season, as she had previously had a double-double on Dec. 12 against Dayton when she scored 13 points and brought in 10 boards.

She wasn’t done there as in the very next game she recorded her second consecutive double-double, putting in 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against Eastern Michigan (Feb. 10). The 18 rebounds were the most for any RedHawk player this season. In the last game of the regular season against Bowling Green (Mar. 2) she had her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 17 rebounds.

Olowinski had another great performance in the MAC First Round game against Northern Illinois (Mar. 6). She scored 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting while bringing in seven rebounds. She is fifth on the team in scoring with 7.4 points per game and is tied for the team lead in rebounding with 6.0 caroms per game. Olowinski leads the team and is fourth in the MAC with 41 blocks, the fifth-best single season block total in Miami history.

“Kirsten is very deserving of this award,” said Fantanarosa. “She is a versatile player who can dominate inside and out on offense. Her unselfish play and work ethic made her rebounding and shot blocking a huge key to our January and February team development. She has huge upside for the years to come!”

The eighth-seeded RedHawks will take on the top seeded Bowling Green Falcons in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament on Wednesday. The game will begin at approximately 4 p.m. in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

2010 MAC Awards

Player of the Year – Lauren Prochaska, Bowling Green
Freshman of the Year – Courtney Osborn, Miami
Sixth Player of the Year – Rachel Tecca, Akron
Defensive Player of the Year – Kourtney Brown, Buffalo
Coach of the Year – Jodi Kest, Akron

First Team
Lauren Prochaska, Bowling Green
Kourtney Brown, Buffalo
Tavelyn James, Eastern Michigan
Jamilah Humes, Kent State
Tanika Mays, Toledo

Second Team
Kara Murphy, Akron
Emily Maggert, Ball State
Tracy Pontius, Bowling Green
Marke Freeman, Northern Illinois
Naama Shafir, Toledo

Third Team
Britni Houghton, Central Michigan
Shonda Long, Central Michigan
Kaihla Szunko, Central Michigan
Taisja Jones, Kent State
Courtney Osborn, Miami

Honorable Mention
Kyle Baumgartner, Akron
Audrey McDonald, Ball State
Jennifer Bushby, Ohio
Melissa Goodall, Toledo
Miame Giden, Western Michigan

All-Freshman
Rachel Tecca, Akron
Abby Dowd , Buffalo, Guard
Rachel Mauk, Central Michigan
Kirsten Olowinski, Miami
Courtney Osborn, Miami

March 7, 2010
MEN'S BASKETBALL

Miami to Face Buffalo in MAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday

No. 4 Seed RedHawks to Battle No. 5 Seed Bulls; Teams Clash for Second Time in a Week

OXFORD, Ohio—Miami University’s men’s basketball team will face Buffalo at 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

No. 5 seed Buffalo defeated No. 12 seed Toledo 72-54 on Sunday afternoon in the first round of the MAC Tournament held at campus sites. Miami, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, earned a first-round bye.

Miami fans can reserve seats for the MAC Tournament in Cleveland by calling 1-866-MUHAWKS, or (513) 529-HAWK (4295) or by ordering in person at the Millett Hall Ticket Office.

Thursday marks just the third meeting between Miami and Buffalo in MAC Tournament action with both previous meetings occurring in first-round action. Miami topped Buffalo 71-60 in Oxford in the first round of the 2002 MAC Tournament and edged the Bulls 69-68 in Cleveland in the first round of the 2008 MAC Tournament.

Miami and Buffalo finished MAC play tied at 9-7, splitting the regular-season home-and-home series. Both teams also split regular-season series with No. 1 seed Kent State, taking the tiebreaker to No. 2 seed Central Michigan. Miami defeated the Chippewas in the lone meeting between the teams, and the Bulls lost to CMU during the regular season. Buffalo captured the first meeting between the teams, 73-55, and Miami posted a 73-62 win in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The RedHawks are the No. 4 seed for just the fourth time in its 29 MAC Tournament appearances and is the No. 4 seed for the second straight season. Miami also was the No. 4 seed in 2007 when the RedHawks won the MAC Tournament during a thrilling run.

The RedHawks are 14-10 all-time in MAC Tournament quarterfinals games but lost last year’s quarterfinal matchup against Akron, 73-63. Miami defeated Ohio in the 2008 MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, 74-61.

March 6, 2010
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Miami Advances in MAC Tournament with 67-66 Win Over Northern Illinois

OXFORD, Ohio – Some timely shots and great defense down the stretch helped Miami overcome a pesky Northern Illinois squad 67-66 in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon. Maggie Boyer led the RedHawks with 18 points. Miami improves to 9-21 overall, while the Huskies finish the season at 10-19.

The eighth seeded RedHawks advance to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament Wednesday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Miami will take on top-seeded Bowling Green at 4 p.m.

Trailing 61-60 with only 2:27 remaining Courtney Osborn drove to the lane and was fouled. She sank both free throws to give the RedHawks the lead. On the next possession Ashleigh Brown came up with a steal and a key jumper to bring the advantage up to three. Two free throws by the Huskies cut it down to one at 64-63, but on the next possession Boyer was able to sneak the ball into Kirsten Olowinski for the layup to regain the three point lead.

Solid defense by Miami forced Northern Illinois into a turnover with eight seconds remaining. After being fouled Osborn converted one of two free throws to put the RedHawks up four at 67-66. Marke Freeman hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one at 67-66 with two seconds left. Olowinski was fouled with under a second remaining, but intentionally missed both free throws to force Northern Illinois into a desperation play that came up short.

The beginning of the game bore no resemblance to the earlier meeting between the two schools, a 96-51 Miami victory on Jan. 27. The RedHawks jumped to a 13-6 lead off eight points from Boyer and a layup from Olowinski. Senior Kylie York led a three-point barrage from the Huskies that helped them go on a 22-6 run that gave them a 28-19 advantage with eight minutes remaining in the first half. It would be their largest lead of the game.

A layup from Olowinski and three-pointers from Boyer and Osborn were part of a 10-0 run that gave Miami the advantage back at 29-28. After a Northern Illinois layup, another trey from Boyer along with one from Briana Dunlap and a jumper by Lillian Pitts helped the RedHawks close the half on a 10-4 run and take a 39-34 lead into the break.

The Huskies opened the second half on a 6-2 run to close within one. But two more baskets by Pitts along with a jumper from Brown put Miami up 49-42 with 14:19 to go. Miami would not score again for the next five minutes as a 9-0 run put Northern Illinois in front, 51-49. The lead would change six times over the next six minutes until a huge steal and fastbreak layup by Olowinski with the Huskies about to go up three instead gave Miami a 61-60 advantage. Northern Illinois would regain the lead one more time on two free throws before the RedHawks’ defensive heroics took over to secure the victory.

In addition to Boyer’s 18 points, Olowinski finished with 17 and Osborn 10. Osborn now has 503 points on the year. She is only the fifth player in school history to surpass 500 points in a single season. Brown led the RedHawks with eight rebounds. Mauvolyene Adams led Northern Illinois with 18 points and 18 rebounds.

Miami shot 49 percent (25-for-51) for the game, compared to 39 percent (23-for-59) for the Huskies. The RedHawks forced 12 steals and had 15 assists on their 25 baskets. Osborn was one assist off her career-high with seven.

March 5, 2010
MEN'S BASKETBALL

RedHawks Earn No. 4 Seed in MAC Tournament

Miami Earns First-Round Bye and Advances to Quarterfinals in Cleveland

OXFORD, Ohio—With Kent State’s win at Akron on Friday evening in the final regular-season Mid-American Conference game, Miami University’s men’s basketball team earned the No. 4 seed in the 2010 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament and will face the No. 5 seed Buffalo/No. 12 seed Toledo winner at 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 in the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Miami fans can reserve seats for the MAC Tournament in Cleveland by calling, 1-866-MUHAWKS, or (513) 529-HAWK (4295) or by ordering in person at the Millett Hall Ticket Office. On Saturday, the Athletic Ticket Office will be open to sell MAC Tournament tickets for Cleveland from 3-5 p.m.

Miami and Buffalo finished MAC play tied at 9-7, splitting the regular-season home-and-home series. Both teams also split regular-season series with No. 1 seed Kent State, taking the tiebreaker to No. 2 seed Central Michigan. Miami defeated the Chippewas in the lone meeting between the teams, and the Bulls lost to CMU during the regular season.

Miami earns a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years, having earned five-straight first-round byes from 2003 to 2007. Miami is the No. 4 seed for just the fourth time in its 29 MAC Tournament appearances and is the No. 4 seed for the second straight season. Miami also was the No. 4 seed in 2007 when the RedHawks won the MAC Tournament during a thrilling run.

It is the 22nd consecutive quarterfinal appearance for the RedHawks, who are making the program’s 29th appearance in the 31-year history of the tournament.

In 20 seasons as a head coach in the Mid-American Conference, Charlie Coles’ coached squads have never missed a conference tournament and have at least advanced to the quarterfinals since the league expanded to the all-inclusive format in 1999-00.

The RedHawks (13-17) are coming off a 73-62 win over Buffalo on Thursday evening in the final game at Millett Hall for seniors Kenny Hayes, Adam Fletcher and Michael Aluise.

 2010 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament

Sunday, March 7 - First Round (Higher Seed Campus Sites)

No. 10 Bowling Green at No. 7 Western Michigan, 2 p.m.
No. 11 Northern Illinois at No. 6 Eastern Michigan, 2 p.m.
No. 9 Ohio at No. 8 Ball State, 2 p.m.
No. 12 Toledo at No. 5 Buffalo, TBA

Thursday, March 11 - Quarter Finals (Cleveland, Ohio)

No. 2 Central Michigan vs. No. 7/No. 10 Seed Winner, Noon
No. 3 Akron vs. No. 6/No. 11 Seed Winner, 2 p.m.*
No. 1 Kent State vs. No. 8/No. 9 Seed Winner, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5/No. 12 Seed Winner, 9 p.m.*

Friday, March 12 - Semi Finals (Cleveland, Ohio)

Semifinal No. 1, 7 p.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 9 p.m.*

Saturday, March 13 - Final (Cleveland, Ohio)

Championship Game, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

*30 minutes following the completion of the previous game

March 2, 2010
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

RedHawks Fall to Falcons on Senior Night

OXFORD, Ohio – The women’s basketball team had a tremendous defensive effort on Senior Night Tuesday, as it held Bowling Green to only 29 percent shooting. However, the Falcons were able to come away with a 63-58 win to clinch the Mid-American Conference regular season title. The RedHawks fall to 8-21 overall and 6-10 in the MAC. Bowling Green improves to 24-6 overall and 14-2 in the MAC. Courtney Osborn led Miami with 23 points.

The RedHawks will be the eighth seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and will host ninth seed Northern Illinois on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game is Fan Appreciation Day and all tickets will be only one dollar.

Neither team could score early as the teams found themselves deadlocked at five, four and a half minutes into the game. Playing in the their final regular season home game, seniors Ashleigh Brown and Courtney Reed helped the RedHawks take the advantage. Brown hit a layup to break the tie off an assist from Reed. On the next possession, Reed drained a three-pointer to make it 10-5 off an assist from Brown.

Bowling Green went on a 15-1 run over the next six minutes to take a 20-11 advantage with 9:22 remaining in the first half. Osborn ended the Miami drought with a layup. She hit a couple of free throws and a jumper to close the RedHawks to within five at 22-17. With the score 28-21 in favor of the Falcons, Kirsten Olowinski hit two jumpers in between a Bowling Green field goal to make it 29-25. The Falcons followed with a circus shot at the buzzer to take a 31-25 lead into the break.

Two free throws by Olowinski and a jumper by Brown pulled the RedHawks to within two early in the second half. Three minutes later a long jumper by Lillian Pitts made it a one point deficit at 36-35 with 15:42 to go. A 17-9 run expanded the lead to its largest for Bowling Green at 53-44 with 6:58 to go. But Miami’s defense would soon clamp down to give the RedHawks a chance.

Miami would keep the Falcons from hitting another basket for the next five minutes, as they scored only one free throw. Free throws by Pitts and Osborn, along with a basket by Brown made it 54-49 with 1:58 remaining. A three-pointer and a couple of free throws by Bowling Green expanded it back out to eight at 59-51 with 1:05 to go. Osborn followed with another trey, and after the RedHawks forced an immediate Falcon turnover, Olowinski calmly sank two free throws to make it 59-56 with 46 seconds to go. After that however, Miami would only be able to hit one more shot and the Falcons were able to clinch the 63-58 victory at the free throw line.

In addition to Osborn’s 23 points, Olowinski had her third career double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Brown finished with nine points and eight rebounds. The RedHawks shot 31.6 percent (18-for-57) for the game and outrebounded the Falcons 46-44.

Saturday’s first round game is for a spot in the MAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday, Mar. 10 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The winner of the Miami vs. Northern Illinois contest will take on top seed Bowling Green in the next round.

February 27, 2010
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Akron Survives Miami in Final Minute

AKRON, Ohio – A tight game throughout was sealed by free throws late as Akron defeated Miami, 72-65, Saturday afternoon. Kirsten Olowinski led the RedHawks with 20 points. Miami falls to 8-20 overall and 6-9 in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips improve to 16-12 overall and 10-5 in the MAC.

Miami was done in by Akron’s hot shooting on the afternoon. While the RedHawks had a decent shooting night themselves at 44.1 percent (26-for-59), the Zips shot a blistering 59.1 percent (26-for-44) for the game.

Akron jumped to a quick 7-0 lead to begin the game. After a Miami timeout, Courtney Osborn hit a three-pointer to get the RedHawks on the board. The Zips eventually got the lead to 10 at 21-11 with 10:11 remaining, but once again Osborn stopped the run with another three-pointer, while Courtney Reed cut the deficit to five with a layup on the next possession.

With the score 31-20 at the 5:05 mark, layups by Osborn and Olowinski sparked an 8-4 run that pulled the RedHawks back within five. Akron scored the next two baskets, but Osborn hit a layup with nine seconds to send Miami into break trailing, 37-30.

Five consecutive points by Olowinski along with two layups from Ashleigh Brown were part of a 7-1 run that pulled Miami to within one early in the second half. After a layup by Akron, Brown hit another layup and Osborn hit a three-pointer to give the RedHawks their first lead at 42-40 with 14:56 to go. A three-pointer by Maggie Boyer helped extend the advantage to four at 47-43 with 13:26 remaining.

Akron eventually tied the game 49, before Reed hit a layup to put Miami back in front. A 14-3 run by the Zips gave Akron a 63-54 lead with 5:24 remaining. The RedHawks did not give in as they drove in for several layup attempts and hit all their free throws to pull to within six at 67-61 with 2:11 to go.

In the last two minutes, Olowinski hit two consecutive layups to pull Miami to within two at 67-65. Osborn missed a three-pointer with 1:05 to go that would have given the RedHawks the lead. After Kara Murphy hit one free throw to put Akron up three at 68-65 with 36 seconds remaining, an Olowinski three-pointer that would have tied the score just rimmed out. The Zips hit four straight free throws over the last 24 seconds to secure the 72-65 win.

In addition to Olowinski’s 20 points, Osborn scored 17 and Boyer contributed 12. Brown had a good overall game with six points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Osborn led the RedHawks with six assists. Akron outrebounded Miami, 33-22.

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