Singer Leads Miami Past KSU in MAC Quarterfinals, 65-58

CLEVELAND, Ohio– Tamar Singer matched her career high with 25 points and added seven assists as top-seeded Miami University held off eighth-seeded Kent State 65-58 in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal Wednesday morning. Amber Scalia added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the RedHawks, who improve to 26-6 and will play Friday in the conference semifinals. Kent State falls to 15-16 with the loss.
 
 How it Happened:

Nuria Jurjo started things off with a three-pointer on Miami’s first possession, and the lead quickly stretched to 7-2 after a pair of Amber Tretter free throws and a Singer layup. Clara Gonzalez Planella muscled a shot up off the backboard to stake Miami to a 13-9 advantage before KSU rattled off six quick points. The RedHawks then closed the quarter on a 12-0 run to take control. Back-to-back three-pointers from Ilse de Vries and Scalia put Miami up 21-15, and Singer capped the spurt with a driving lay-in at the buzzer to give Miami a 25-15 cushion.
A Singer left-handed layup in the opening minute of the second period stretched the lead to 27-15. Kent State finally broke through for a three-point play with 6:29 left in the half to end a six-minute scoreless drought and trim the lead to 27-18. Triples from Scalia and Singer pushed the Miami margin to 33-18, while the RedHawks’ defense continued to frustrate KSU at the other end. Singer buried another three-pointer with 1:40 to play in the half to put the Red and White up 16, and Miami took a 36-22 lead to the locker room after the Golden Flashes’ buzzer-beating attempt rolled around the rim and fell off.
KSU scored the first five points of the second half, but Singer answered back on a drive to make it 38-27. Scalia converted a baseline mid-range jumper and Singer knocked down a pair of free throws to keep Miami on top 42-31 with 3:36 to play in the period. Jurjo pump faked and stepped into a pull-up jumper to give Miami a 45-35 lead with 2:30 remaining in the quarter, but Kent State responded with seven straight points to make it a one-possession game in the final minute. Singer closed the quarter with a drive and finish to give Miami a 47-42 lead after three quarters.
After a three-point play by the Flashes cut the lead to two, Miami roared back with a 13-1 spurt to once again go ahead by double digits. Scalia drained two pairs of free throws -sandwiched around a Tretter offensive rebound and putback- and Singer promptly added a transition layup to put the RedHawks up 55-45. de Vries scored inside and three Miami free throws gave the RedHawks their largest lead of the second half at 60-46. Kent State rallied with a 10-2 run to make things interesting in the final minute, but the Red and White made enough plays and free throws down the stretch to close out their first postseason victory since 2019.

 
Up Next:
Miami advances to take on the winner of fourth-seeded Central Michigan and fifth-seeded Ohio on Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. in Cleveland.
 
This story will be updated; check back to MiamiRedHawks.com.