With a women’s basketball record 5,034 fans packing the stands for the Battle of the Bricks, Miami unleashed an historic shooting performance and overwhelmed arch-rival Ohio 90-70 on Saturday at Millett Hall.
Miami drained a program-record 17 three-pointers, erased an early deficit with a game-changing second-quarter run and extended its winning streak to 11 games. The RedHawks improved to 18-4 overall, 10-0 in Mid-American Conference play — the first 10-0 league start in program history — and remained perfect at home this season.
“This place mattered today,” Miami coach Glenn Box said. “Our kids deserved this crowd, and the crowd pushed us when we needed it.”
Ohio set the tone early, jumping out to a 15-5 lead and taking advantage of Miami turnovers to build a 28-21 advantage after one quarter.
Then Miami found clarity.
Trailing 30-21 early in the second quarter, the RedHawks adjusted to Ohio’s aggressive defensive pressure, moved the ball quicker and began turning defensive stops into rhythm shots. The result was a blistering 16-0 run that flipped the game and ignited the building.
Five players touched the scoring column during the run. Three-pointers rained in from multiple spots. Ohio never fully recovered.
“It’s always about defense,” said Miami senior guard Amber Scalia, who finished with a game-high 23 points. “We had too many turnovers early that gave them easy points. Once we locked in defensively, everything flowed.”
Miami carried a 48-39 lead into halftime and steadily pulled away from there. A Scalia 3 and an Amber Tretter three-point play stretched the margin early in the third quarter before Ohio briefly answered with a seven-point spurt. Miami responded with another decisive run, fueled by transition baskets and crisp ball movement.
By the fourth quarter, the outcome was no longer in doubt — but history still was.
Scalia’s fifth 3-pointer of the afternoon tied the program record for made 3s in a game. Moments later, she connected again from deep to give Miami its 17th, pushing the lead past 20 and setting off another standing ovation.
“All credit goes to my teammates,” Scalia said. “They found me when I was hot. That’s what makes this team special — it can be anybody on any night.”
That balance was on full display. All five Miami starters scored in double figures, led by Scalia’s 23. Ilse de Vries added 18 points, Tamar Singer scored 17 with a game-high nine assists, Tretter posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 26th career double-double, and Núria Jurjo chipped in 10.
Miami assisted on 26 baskets, nearly doubling Ohio’s total, and shot confidently from long range against defensive looks it has seen all season.
“They were stunting and blitzing our dribble early,” Box said. “Once our kids figured it out and got rid of the ball sooner, it created easy stuff. That’s maturity.”
Beyond the numbers, the afternoon carried an emotional impact for a program that has steadily rebuilt itself under Box — who is in his third season at the helm.
“It’s beautiful to see where we are,” Box said. “But we don’t live there. We just stay in the moment.”
That mindset, Scalia said, has kept Miami grounded amid its best start in years.
“Coach says it every day — we haven’t done anything yet,” Scalia said. “We come into practice like we’re 0-0. That’s how we stay hungry.”
Miami will take that momentum into next Saturday, Feb. 7, when it hosts Georgia Southern in the MAC-SBC Challenge.
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