Behind a dominant start, top-seeded Miami defeated Toledo 68-58 on Saturday to capture the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship and secure an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament — just the second appearance in program history.
Junior forward Amber Tretter delivered a dominant performance with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Ilse de Vries added 17 points. Amber Scalia finished with 14 points and was named MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and Tamar Singer chipped in 13.
The championship represented the culmination of a culture Miami coach Glenn Box has spent three seasons building.
“We have created a culture of work and our kids get better,” Box said. “We love to be able to open the floor. We talk about playing pretty a lot. I don’t like to see ugly basketball at all. So we try to put together a product that people enjoy, and I think people enjoy seeing that.”
The victory pushed Miami to 28-6 overall, capping one of the most successful seasons in program history.
A championship start
Miami’s path to the title began with a defensive statement.
The RedHawks opened the championship game by scoring the first 16 points, holding Toledo scoreless for more than seven minutes and forcing the Rockets to miss their first 10 shots.
Singer started the run with Miami’s first basket before Scalia and Tretter attacked inside to build early momentum. Scalia’s transition bucket and pull-up jumper stretched the lead to 10-0, and de Vries added a baseline layup to force a Toledo timeout.
Singer then capped the explosive start with a coast-to-coast steal and layup, and by the end of the opening quarter, Miami had built a 16-6 advantage.
“I think we were just aggressive right away,” Scalia said. “We came out in the first quarter aggressive and ready to go attacking. Their defense was getting out on shooters, so the driving lanes were open for us and we started out hot.”
Miami continued to control the tempo in the second quarter. After Toledo scored its first basket of the period with 4:56 remaining, the RedHawks had already pushed the lead to 26-8 during a decisive stretch.
Despite a late Toledo rally, Miami carried a 28-16 halftime lead and remained firmly in control.
Responding to Toledo’s push
Toledo began to chip away in the second half, using a 9-2 run to cut Miami’s lead to 42-36 midway through the third quarter. Moments later, the Rockets closed within 43-38, threatening to erase Miami’s early dominance.
But the RedHawks never panicked.
“It’s a 40-minute game,” Tretter said. “We go into it with confidence. We know the game comes in runs too. So anything they were going to come out with, we knew we would have our time as well.”
Miami steadied itself behind timely baskets and defensive stops, carrying a 47-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
Box credited his team’s composure and execution during the tense stretch.
“To me it just spoke to our championship makeup,” Box said. “We could easily have collapsed. But when we needed to tighten the screws, we tightened the screws. We executed on offense and made plays.”
That execution was the product of the identity Miami has developed under Box.
“That speaks to our versatility and our intelligence because we simply take what you’re willing to give us,” Box said. “Each game has its own identity. We just want to be efficient — taking the right shot, doing the right thing, making the right play.”
Scalia said the team’s unity helped them weather Toledo’s push.
“We know it’s a game of runs,” Scalia said. “We had a little bit of a hard time getting stops there in the third quarter, but we just kept coming together and said we just need to stay together, and that’s what we did.”
A program transformed
The defining moment came late in the fourth quarter.
With Toledo still within striking distance, Singer converted a three-point play with 3:24 remaining to extend Miami’s lead to 59-50, giving the RedHawks breathing room.
Tretter followed with clutch free throws as Miami sealed the championship by shooting 12-of-14 from the foul line in the final period.
“Every time I step to the line I always tell myself that I’m making it,” Tretter said. “If you tell yourself ‘don’t miss,’ all your mind can hear is ‘miss.’ So I just imagine it going in every day.”
The victory marked Miami’s first MAC Tournament championship since 2008, completing a remarkable turnaround for a program that won just nine games during Tretter’s freshman season.
“Going from year to year,” Tretter said, “we really committed to what Coach Box has told us and really just creating a culture where we want to win.”
Scalia said the moment represented the fulfillment of a belief she carried with her when she first arrived on campus.
“The whole reason I came to Miami was because I knew we could win here,” the senior guard said. “When I came on campus I just knew it was going to be home.”
Now the RedHawks will take that confidence to the national stage. The celebration may continue when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday night, but Miami’s ambitions stretch beyond simply appearing.
“I came here to win championships,” Box said. “Defense travels. When we walk into that tournament, we don’t care who we play. We will compete, we will be prepared, and we’ll be ready to go.
“Our goal has always been to win championships. Our goal is to be in the Sweet 16. That’s the expectation. That’s the standard.”
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