Miami Fights Through Illness to Defeat EMU 68-45
By: Jack Mueller
(Cover Photo Courtesy of: Miami Athletics)
The Miami RedHawks won their second consecutive home game on Wednesday night, defeating Eastern Michigan 68-45 at Millett Hall. With the win, Coach Glenn Box matched his conference win total from 2023, with eight more MAC games remaining.
“It says a lot about A) what our staff is doing, and to compound that, it says a lot about the kids we’re bringing in.” said Box. “We’re going to build this thing up, our intention is to compete year-in, year-out … we’re hungry for more.”
The RedHawks were without some familiar faces, and were forced to play short-handed due to a “sickness bug”. Ilse De Vries missed her first game of the season due to illness, which propelled Katey Richason (3.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG) into the starting lineup. She stepped up, pulling down eight rebounds and scoring four points. Her main impact was minimizing the effectiveness of EMU’s leading scorer, Sisi Eleko (18.5 PPG)
“Katey stepped up to the challenge…she wasn’t afraid of the moment,” said Box.
Two long scoring runs were the difference between the two teams. The RedHawks recovered from an early deficit, going on a 14-0 run to claim the advantage in the second period. After halftime, another long, 17-2 run put the game out of reach.
It was a three-pronged attack for Miami. Maya Chandler, Enjulina Gonzalez and Amber Tretter combined for 47 points, making up 70% of the RedHawks’ total offense. Gonzalez and Tretter were dominant on the glass as well, racking up 13 rebounds between them.
Miami protected the ball as well as they have all season. Box’s team only gave the ball away eight times, their lowest mark of the season.
“Isn’t that great?” said Box, “When you do that, you have a pretty good chance to win.”
On the other end, Miami forced EMU into 25 turnovers, which they turned into 24 points. Cori Lard ended with five steals to go with her ten points on the night. Nuria Jurjo added four steals of her own, her most in one game since November 22nd.
“She’s (Lard) giving us a punch off the bench,” said Box. “She’s kind of like our swiss-army knife right now.”
“We’ve been waiting for her to contribute, and she did that tonight,” said Box.
How it Happened.
Eastern Michigan came out of the gate firing, making their first two threes. Sisi Eleko added three more points via and-one, making it 9-2 after just two minutes. Layups by Gonzalez and Tretter got Miami on the board, but shooting 28% as a team in the first seven minutes allowed EMU to go on a 5-0 run and make it 16-8.
Miami responded with a run of their own, scoring 14 straight points. Four more points from Tretter and Gonzalez and Richason’s first basket made it a two-point game at the end of the first quarter. Back-to-back steals and layups gave Miami their first lead of the day, courtesy of Nuria Jurjo and Cori Lard. Maya Chandler’s three made it a six-point game, just three minutes after taking the lead.
Jada Williams’ layup and Chelsea Bishop’s three made it a one-possession game, but two more baskets for Chandler and Tretter’s third score made it 28-21 with one minute left in the half. Brooklyn Thrash’s three cut into the lead, but two free throws from Jurjo sent the RedHawks to the halftime break with a six-point lead.
The RedHawks came out of the half firing, going on a 15-2 run in the first four minutes of play. Five different Miami players scored during the run, led by four each for Tretter and Chandler. A mid-ranger for Gonzalez gave Miami a 20-point lead at the four minute mark in the third. The RedHawks outscored Eastern Michigan 25-10 in the third, giving them a sizable lead they would not relinquish.
Threes by Dara Capaldi and Olivia Westphal sent EMU on a 9-0 run to get back into the game with the score at 55-42. Gonzalez responded with a putback layup after Cori Lard came away with her fourth steal of the night. Chandler and Tretter kept the momentum with the RedHawks, scoring their sixth baskets of the night. Cori Lard marked her fifth steal with a contested jumper, which put the finishing touches on a dominant night for the RedHawks.
Up Next
Miami has a long road trip ahead of them this weekend, as they travel over 950 miles south to take on Louisiana on Saturday. It’s their second game against a Sun Belt opponent. The RedHawks won their first inter-conference matchup, defeating Appalachian State 75-48 on the first day of the season.