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Miami women focus on first-place Falcons

MU, BG are tied for first place in MAC East and both on win streaks.

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Updated 2:39 AM Thursday, January 19, 2012

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — Coach Maria Fantanarosa and her Miami University women’s basketball team have a laser focus fixed on tonight’s home game against Bowling Green.

It’s not because the RedHawks and Falcons are tied for first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division at 4-0, nor because Miami is pitting a 10-game winning streak against Bowling Green’s seven-game streak.

“We really focus on what we have to do next,” Miami senior guard Maggie Boyer said. “If it’s two hours of practice, then we focus on the next two hours of practice.”

“That has been my philosophy from day one,” Fantanarosa said, “focusing on things we can control, on the next day, and the Bowling Green game happens to be the next day.”

That focus has fueled a dramatic turnaround for the RedHawks, who already have won one more MAC games than they did all of last year, when they lost 10 straight games over the second half of the season to finish 11-19 overall.

Now Miami is 14-3 after returning its entire team and is about to face a Bowling Green squad which also is 14-3.

“We’re definitely not overlooking them, but we’re trying to focus on us and on how we’re playing,” said Miami senior forward Rachael Hencke. “We’ll try to play our game and do what we do best.”

That would be rebounding and defense.

Miami is second only to Eastern Michigan in the MAC in rebounding margin, and junior Kirsten Olowinski leads the conference in total rebounds by a wide margin.

Also, the RedHawks are holding opponents to a league-low field goal percentage of 36.4, and junior point guard Courtney Osborn — who recently broke the MAC single-game scoring record with 48 points at Buffalo — ranks third in steals.

“We’ve been focusing on denial and helping each other,” Hencke noted. “It’s a blue-collar kind of work ethic and everyone’s buying into it.”

“That’s how I recruit,” Fantanarosa said. “I like players who are blue collar, scrappy on the floor, and it’s contagious. You see players diving on the floor going for loose balls.”

The RedHawks have held seven opponents to 55 or fewer points this season.

“We take pride in our defense,” Boyer said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Miami, Bowling Green in the MAC

Field goal pct.: Miami 2nd, Bowling Green 6th

Free throw pct.: Miami 1st, Bowling Green 9th

Field goal pct. defense: Miami 1st, Bowling Green 2nd

Rebounding margin: Miami 2nd, Bowling Green 4th

Turnover margin: Miami 5th, Bowling Green 2nd

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