Maya Chandler scored 16 points, and Amber Tretter added 15 points and 13 rebounds as Miami fell to Duquesne 73-66 at Millett Hall.
“I thought our kids played hard,” Box said. “Unfortunately, we had a lot of slippage in the first half which resulted in a number of 3s — wide-open 3s. I felt like we didn’t play with the urgency in moments.
“For that reason, we kind of fell behind early. So, I just felt like we were climbing from the get. In the second half, we struggled with the dribble penetration, missed some layups which resulted in obviously the score. But very pleased with my kids’ effort.”
The RedHawks (19-12) were missing leading scorer Enjulina Gonzalez, who is expected to enter the transfer portal. The sophomore transfer from Mercer averaged 16.8 points a game.
“Just opted out,” Box said of Gonzalez not being with the team on Sunday. “Didn’t want to play, I guess.”
Emily Bratton got her first career start in place of Gonzalez. Bratton, a freshman guard, scored five points and dished out three assists.
“We threw Emily in the fire,” Box said. “She hadn’t played a whole lot. I know she gave the best she could.
“It just wasn’t enough for all of us today. She wasn’t the only one. All of us, we were just trying to find a group to rally around. It was really tough to find a collective effort by all in one stretch.”
Miami had four seniors on its team and could bring back seven of its players from this year’s roster.
“I think the biggest thing is that we wanted to give our seniors an opportunity to have some success at the very end of their career,” Box said.
“I think secondly the thing was I felt our younger kids needed some experience, and the third thing is we just wanted to continue to grow our program. And I felt like this was a great way to do so.”
‘Home away from home’
Katie Richason saw the Oxford red bricks and knew it was home.
It reminded her of where she grew up.
“We have a brick street,” said Richason, a Zionsville High School graduate from Indiana. “This has been a home away from home.”
Richason loved the university first, but basketball at Miami became a bonus.
“I’m studying what I love,” she said. “I’m studying speech pathology. They have a great program here.”
Miami has a growing women’s basketball team, too. And Richason has played a key factor in that.
“I’ve seen the growth from this program the past four years,” Richason said. “It’s sad that I’m leaving, but I’m just so proud of these girls and how hard we fought to get where we are right now.
“We’ve done something we haven’t done since 2019, so it’s amazing,” Richason added. “When I got here, I made connections with my roommates and then that core of four freshmen stayed here through sophomore year. Then after that we got a coaching change. I stuck with it.
“I think the people is the biggest thing,” Richason continued on what she takes out of her career as a RedHawk. “The connections. Yes, you can score as many points or get as many rebounds, but it’s the people that really matters.”
Richason drained a 3 during Sunday’s game that brought Miami’s deficit against Duquesne to 70-66 with just over a minute left to play. But the RedHawks couldn’t get any closer.
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