Red and White shooting for a victory in home opener
Nick Bonaventura
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Sports
Fresh off a second place finish in the Iona Tip-Off Tournament, the Miami University women's basketball team will play its home opener Saturday afternoon, taking the court against Wake Forest University.
Miami is coming off a 91-67 loss to the University of Arizona last Sunday in the finale of the tournament. The 'Hawks look to rebound playing against another big-name opponent, something that will help the team in the long run, according to senior guard Ashleigh Brown.
"When you play at a higher and different level, it definitely prepares you to play in the MAC," Brown said. "If we see better teams than we will be seeing in the MAC, then we're going to be prepared for a lot later on."
The RedHawks (1-1) will be looking to overcome the loss of the school's fifth all-time leading scorer, Jenna Schone, to graduation. Replacing the scoring that Schone brought to the table is not something Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa expects to be done by any one player.
"Really, filling in for Jenna is going to have to be done by committee," Fantanarosa said. "We have a really good group here with plenty of capable scorers; it's just going to be whoever can step up for us at a given time."
Senior guard Courtney Reed expects this season to be one where on any given night a different player can step up and take charge for the RedHawks.
"This year there is more of an opportunity in the post and the perimeter for people to step up," Reed said. "Especially with (freshman forward Kirsten) Olowinski and Brown being in the post, I think there are great opportunities for anyone to step up. One player I really expect to score is (sophomore guard) Maggie Boyer."
Among the players that will be filling the scoring void is freshman guard Courtney Osborn, who led the Red and White in scoring against Arizona, racking up 22 points in her first collegiate game.
"We've been very impressed so far with the freshmen, and especially with Courtney Osborn," Brown said. "She just needs to learn to take over the floor, but as a group the freshmen have been doing things really well."
Miami is coming off a 91-67 loss to the University of Arizona last Sunday in the finale of the tournament. The 'Hawks look to rebound playing against another big-name opponent, something that will help the team in the long run, according to senior guard Ashleigh Brown.
"When you play at a higher and different level, it definitely prepares you to play in the MAC," Brown said. "If we see better teams than we will be seeing in the MAC, then we're going to be prepared for a lot later on."
The RedHawks (1-1) will be looking to overcome the loss of the school's fifth all-time leading scorer, Jenna Schone, to graduation. Replacing the scoring that Schone brought to the table is not something Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa expects to be done by any one player.
"Really, filling in for Jenna is going to have to be done by committee," Fantanarosa said. "We have a really good group here with plenty of capable scorers; it's just going to be whoever can step up for us at a given time."
Senior guard Courtney Reed expects this season to be one where on any given night a different player can step up and take charge for the RedHawks.
"This year there is more of an opportunity in the post and the perimeter for people to step up," Reed said. "Especially with (freshman forward Kirsten) Olowinski and Brown being in the post, I think there are great opportunities for anyone to step up. One player I really expect to score is (sophomore guard) Maggie Boyer."
Among the players that will be filling the scoring void is freshman guard Courtney Osborn, who led the Red and White in scoring against Arizona, racking up 22 points in her first collegiate game.
"We've been very impressed so far with the freshmen, and especially with Courtney Osborn," Brown said. "She just needs to learn to take over the floor, but as a group the freshmen have been doing things really well."
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