Colonels Comeback Falls Short at Miami

December 3, 2022December 3, 2022 Admin

OXFORD, Ohio – After trailing for the duration of the first half, Eastern Kentucky women’s basketball rallied to bring the deficit to five points late in the fourth quarter, ultimately falling to Miami (Ohio) by a score of 73-68 on Friday night inside Millet Hall.

With the result, EKU moves to 4-4 (.500) on the season and drops its first game of the I-75 Challenge.

Antwainette Walker led all scorers on Friday night with 24 points shooting 11-of-23 (.478) from the floor and brought down nine rebounds, one shy of her seventh double-double of the year.

Danielle Rainey dropped 16 points in the loss with two made three pointers, the total is good for her second highest point value of the season.

With 11 points and four assists, point guard Alice Recanati has now led the Colonels in assists in 6-of-8 (.750) of games this season and 50-of-71 (.704) of games throughout her three-year career in Richmond.

Out of the gate, the RedHawks jumped the Colonels scoring the first five points of the contest. Walker tallied the first four points for EKU to bring the score to 9-4 heading into the first quarter media timeout. Eastern Kentucky closed the first frame on the wrong end of a 12-8 run, Miami shot 60 percent and EKU failed to convert one of its five three-point shot attempts.

Eastern Kentucky went on an 8-4 run to being the second quarter as the clock ran down to the media timeout. The Colonels would hold Miami to just three points in the final four minutes of the first half, Rainey hit a jumper with three seconds left on the clock to send EKU to the locker room tied at 28. Eastern Kentucky outscored Miami 16-7 in the second frame for its third quarter this season holding opponents to single digits.

The Colonels took the lead at 32-30 over Miami off a Recanati floater with eight minutes on the clock. The RedHawks would proceed to go on a six-point swing in the next two minutes to regain their lead to four. A Kalissa Lacy three would bring the Colonels back within two points out of the media timeout, however, Miami pulled away with another 5-0 run to end the quarter with the advantage at 55-43.

Miami kept EKU at a 10-point length away as the fourth quarter winded down to the media timeout. With two minutes left and Eastern Kentucky down 12 points, Rainey hit threes on back-to-back possessions to shorten the gap to six points. EKU failed to convert a field goal in the last two minutes to seal a Miami’s third win on the year.

Miami outrebounded EKU 40-27 in Friday’s contest and shot 51 percent from the floor. Despite the loss, Eastern Kentucky forced MU to 24 turnovers, its second-highest value of the season.

EKU will return to Richmond and prepare for the second matchup of the I-75 Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 8 against Northern Kentucky inside Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Ky. Next Thursday’s contest with the Norse is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff and can be viewed on Bally Sports Ohio, fans are encouraged to check with your local TV provider if you package includes BSO. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster starting at $5.