1. Balanced scoring fuels the bounce-back
Four RedHawks reached double figures, led by Amber Scalia’s 18 points. Núria Jurjo added 16 — one shy of her career high — while Amber Tretter scored 13 and Ilse de Vries chipped in 11.
After trailing 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, Miami found its rhythm in the second. Jurjo’s corner 3 and Scalia’s late-half surge helped the RedHawks build a 32-23 halftime lead they would not relinquish.
“We were in foul trouble from the first possession,” Miami coach Glenn Box said. “It was a total team effort. The kids had to step up more, and they did.”
2. Defense sets the tone against Morson
Central Michigan’s Madi Morson finished with 17 points, but Miami made her work for every look and limited clean perimeter opportunities. The Chippewas did not connect on a 3-pointer.
Jurjo drew the primary defensive assignment.
“We were excited for this game,” Jurjo said. “She still got some hard shots, but I’m proud of my job — and my teammates helped me with defense as well.”
Miami forced 21 turnovers and committed just 10, consistently turning stops into transition chances — including a key third-quarter sequence when Tamar Singer found de Vries for a fast-break layup after a defensive stop.
3. Bench answers early foul trouble
With starters in foul difficulty early, Box turned to his bench and shuffled lineups that haven’t logged many reps together.
“I thought they did awesome,” Box said. “We’re not practicing with all those different types of lineups a lot, but next man up. They stepped up and they were ready to go.”
Though the reserves didn’t fill the scoring column, Box credited their minutes for stabilizing the game and maintaining defensive intensity.
4. Second-quarter surge flips momentum
Down five after one quarter, Miami seized control in the second with improved defensive pressure and ball movement.
Singer — who finished with a game-high nine assists — sparked the run, assisting on a Tretter layup and Jurjo 3-pointer. Scalia followed with four straight points, and de Vries scored back-to-back buckets to stretch the lead to 30-22.
“I just remember when we shrank that lead,” Box said. “You could feel the momentum shift and the confidence within the team.”
Miami led 49-37 entering the fourth and never allowed Central Michigan closer than 10 points down the stretch.
5. Home dominance continues
The RedHawks improved to 11-0 at home and 21-5 overall (12-1 MAC). The 21 victories are tied for the sixth-most in a single season in program history.
Miami bounced back from its one-point loss at UMass on Saturday, which snapped a 13-game winning streak for the RedHawks.
Jurjo said the team’s belief has grown throughout conference play.
“Once we started conference and got that streak of wins, that helped us a lot,” Jurjo said. “We’re trying to find every player’s spot and take advantage of it.”
Miami returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. against Ball State in its annual Love.Honor.Care game.
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