Dec. 19, 2004

MONDAY'S MATCH-UP: Two teams looking to overcome difficult losses collide Monday afternoon when Miami University (6-3) faces Manhattan College (4-3). The RedHawks are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss at Seton Hall, while the Jaspers are attempting to recover from consecutive home losses to Dartmouth and Fresno State. The contest is the last for either team before heading into the holiday break.

SCOUTING THE JASPERS: Standing atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with an unbeaten 2-0 league record, Manhattan owns a 4-3 overall mark. After jumping out to a 4-1 start that included a three-game winning streak from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, the Jaspers have dropped back-to-back home games to Dartmouth (66-52) and Fresno State (68-59). Coached by second-year mentor Myndi Hill, the Jaspers return four starters from last season's team, which went 11-18 overall and finished eighth in the MAAC. Leading the charge for Manhattan is 6-foot senior forward Serra Sangar, who is averaging team highs of 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. Senior point guard Donnette Reed is another key contributor, averaging 14.7 ppg and dishing 6.0 assists per contest.

SERIES HISTORY: Monday marks only the second meeting between Miami and Manhattan, with the programs last colliding on Jan. 3, 1987. In that contest, also played at Manhattan, Miami escaped with a narrow 64-62 win. Miami's only other meetings versus a MAAC opponent have come versus Canisius, which the Red and White defeated during both the 1995-96 (97-71) and 1996-97 (63-56) campaigns. The Jasper have not faced a MAC opponent since it lost to Akron and Central Michigan in 1997-98.

NO STRANGERS: While Miami and Manhattan do not have a long history versus one another, the coaches of the two programs are a little more familiar. While Myndi Hill was the head coach at Saint Francis (PA) from 1999-2004, Maria Fantanarosa's Miami teams met Hill's Red Flash squads three times. The RedHawks defeated Saint Francis in 2000-01 (89-76) and 2001-02 (93-90) and fell to the eventual NCAA Tournament qualifier, 74-67, in 2002-03.

ROAD WEARY: Monday's contest concludes a four-game roadstand for Miami that has included trips to Butler, Valparaiso and Seton Hall thus far. In the midst of an eight-game span in which they play only one home game, the RedHawks have posted a 4-2 record away from home this season and stand at 48-57 (.457) away from home under Maria Fantanarosa. After the holiday break, Miami returns home to face Missouri on Dec. 31 before opening Mid-American Conference play with five road dates in its first seven league outings, beginning with a Jan. 5 contest at Marshall.

LAST TIME OUT--Seton Hall 64, Miami 58 (OT): In a back-and-forth game that featured 10 lead changes and another 10 ties, Miami faded down the stretch in dropping a 64-58 overtime decision at Seton Hall. The RedHawks had surged to a five-point lead with just over three minutes to play but went the final 5:08 of regulation and the entire overtime period without converting a field goal. The Pirates forced overtime with a free throw at the 34-second mark and scored the first seven points of overtime in picking up the win. Cindi Merrill led the RedHawks, who shot 30.9 percent from the field, with 17 points, while Seton Hall's Monique Blake was dominant in tallying 20 points and 17 boards.

NEXT TIME OUT: Miami returns home for the first time since Dec. 4 when it hosts the University of Missouri on Dec. 31 in Millett Hall. The first Big 12 foe ever to visit Oxford, Missouri stands at 4-5 after suffering a 16-point loss to No. 2 Stanford Saturday. The Tigers already have faced two MAC foes this season, defeating Northern Illinois and falling by a point to Eastern Michigan. Last season, the teams met in Columbia, where the Tigers roughed up the RedHawks, 92-68. The game will be Miami's last regular-season non-conference bout of the 2004-05 campaign.

A HOLIDAY BREAK: After Monday's tilt with Manhattan, Miami does not face another opponent until Dec. 31. The 11 days between games matches the longest stretch of Maria Fantanarosa's career at Miami. During her first season in 1998, Fantanarosa's RedHawks went from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30 without a game.

FAST START: While Miami's loss at Seton Hall last Saturday cost the Red and White the chance to become the first Miami team to win seven of its first nine games, the RedHawks still find themselves in rare company. Since the program began play in 1974-75 only three Miami teams (1981-82, 1989-90 and 2004-05) have been able to start their seasons with six wins in their first nine outings. After a 6-2 start, the 1981-82 team dropped four straight games and fell to 6-6. The 1989-90 team started at 4-3 before reeling off 12 straight wins and starting the season at 16-3. Both of those teams went on to win MAC Championships.

A DIFFERENT LOOK: A year after ranking fifth nationally in scoring offense, Miami appears to be taking more of a defensive approach this season. The RedHawks averaged 77.1 points per game last season but are down 12.8 ppg to 64.3 points per contest this season. Also dropping has been Miami's field goal percentage, which stood at 43.0 percent in 2003-04 but has slipped to 39.3 percent this season. On the flip side, Miami's defensive numbers are looking up. After allowing 71.1 points per game and holding seven opponents under 65 points in 2003-04, the RedHawks are giving up 65.6 ppg this season and already have held seven of their opponents to fewer than 65 points this season. Field goal percentage defense has been another strength, as the RedHawks, after allowing 42.2 percent shooting last season, have slowed the opposition to a 37.7 percent clip, including 29.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

CRASHING THE BOARDS: With the majority of Miami's games taking on a defensive tone this season, rebounding has become even more important. Miami is averaging 42.2 rebounds per game this season, grabbing 48 and 49 in its last two games, and owns a +2.4 rebounding margin. The RedHawks have cleared the 40-rebound plateau six times this season and are led by four players averaging at least 4.9 rebounds per game. Freshman Laura Markwood averages a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game, and, along with junior Amber Miller, is coming off a 10-rebound outing versus Seton Hall. Miami is 5-0 this season when it win the battle of the boards and just 1-3 when it is outrebounded.

LEADING THE CHARGE: Pacing the RedHawks over the past three games has been junior guard Cindi Merrill, who has averaged 19.7 points per game over the course of Miami's current four-game roadstand. Merrill poured in 22 points versus Butler and 20 at Valparaiso on the way to MAC East Player of the Week plaudits last week. Versus Seton Hall Saturday, Merrill netted a team-high 17 points. On pace to become the 16th player to join Miami's 1,000-point club, Merrill went over 800 career points versus the Pirates and presently has 801 career points.

HITTING HER MARK: With Miami having to replace two of the top 10 rebounders in program history during the offseason, freshman Laura Markwood has emerged as the Red and White's top rebounder in 2004-05. Coming off a 10-rebound performance versus Seton Hall--her second double-digit rebounding effort of the season--Markwood is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game and ranks among the top five rebounders in the MAC. The junior has been particularly effective on the offensive glass, where she appears poised to challenge Miami's freshman record. Miami's present record for offensive rebounds in a season is 72, established by Monica Niemann, the program's all-time leading rebounder, in 1991-92. Markwood already has 31 offensive boards through nine games to rank second in the MAC.