DeLand, Fla. - A 16-5 run late in the second half gave the Stetson women's basketball team (5-1) its first lead since the opening minute and an advantage it would not relinquish in a 71-62 win over visiting Miami (Ohio) (3-2) at the Edmunds Center Friday afternoon. Junior guard Victoria McGowan (Inkster, Mich.) tied for second on the school single game free throw percentage list with a 12-12 performance at the charity stripe and finished with 19 points and a career-high six of Stetson's 18 steals.
Today marked the fourth consecutive victory for Stetson and a program record for wins in the month of November. McGowan is the first Hatter to go 12-12 or better at the free throw line since Marsha Harrison set the single game record (13-13) at Southeastern Louisiana on January 2, 1997; her efforts today marked the most made free throws ever by a Hatter without a miss at the Edmunds Center.
Buoyed by 4-7 three-point shooting to start the game, Miami University led Stetson 37-27 with 2:22 left in the first half, taking its largest lead at that point on a Courtney Larson layup off a pass from Courtney Osborn. The Hatters were able to chip that deficit down to six (38-32) heading into the locker room. Junior guard Shanasa Sanders (Jacksonville, Fla.) was the offensive leader for the Hatters in the first 20 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Although a Kirsten Olowinski layup 30 seconds into the second half would extend Miami's lead to eight, Stetson never let the RedHawks get farther away than that. The home team scored 15 of the game's next 22 points and tied the score 47-47 with 11 minutes left as junior guard Ashley Dennis (Bexley, Ohio) beat the shot clock buzzer with a three-pointer from the left baseline for her only points on the afternoon.
Olowinski quickly gave the RedHawks the lead back for the last time, but two McGowan free throws with 10:03 left started an 8-0 Stetson run that put the Hatters ahead to stay. An Osborn three-pointer at the 4:18 mark brought the visitors within three (57-54), but freshman guard Clarissa Coddington (Davie, Fla.) made two free throws coming out of the final media timeout to start a 6-0 mini-burst for the Hatters. Stetson's lead never slipped under three possessions the rest of the way home; the Hatters made 17 of 18 free throws in the second half to ensure the victory.
McGowan, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week, added four assists to her 19 points and career-high six steals. Also recording a career-high six takeaways was sophomore forward Sasha Sims (Fayetteville, Ga.), who scored 11 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds as well. Freshman forward Cherisse Burris (Blue Springs, Mo.) made four of her five field goal attempts and finished with nine points.
Osborn, Miami's leading scorer entering the day with 17.3 points per game, surpassed her season average with an excellent 21-point, five-rebound, five-assist performance. Erica Almady contributed eight points and seven rebounds off the bench for the RedHawks as well.
Stetson will be back in action at 7:00 pm Monday when they take on Big East foe USF at the Student Recreation Center in Tampa, Fla. USF's regular on-campus venue, the Sun Dome, is unavaible due to a year-long renovation project. Live Stat links (if available) and Bill Topping's Hatter Vision audiocast can be found at GoHatters.com.
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