With a 65-58 final, Miami (OH), the top seed in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament, advanced to the semifinal round in Cleveland, Ohio, holding off Kent State, the eight seed, despite a late run.

Miami’s defense held the Golden Flashes to just 29% shooting, including 14% from the field during a stretch in the first half where Kent State shot 1-for-18.

“We shot our way out of it, but this team’s a better shooting (team) than 14% from the 3-point line,” said Kent State head coach Todd Starkey. “If we shoot better than that, I think we win this game.” 

Kent State did battle back, scoring 36 points in the second half, which outscored Miami’s 29 points in the final 20 minutes.

The Golden Flashes managed to get within three points in the second half, nearly taking the lead after an ice cold start, but were not able to take the lead or pick up the win. 

“We lost the first quarter by 10 and we won the rest of the game by three points,” said Starkey. “Made it real interesting down the stretch. Need a couple more shots to fall for us, and I think we could have pulled that game off and pulled a big upset.” 

Miami stayed ahead in the driver’s seat, as they held strong through Kent State’s scoring runs and got things back to a double-digit lead in the final minutes. 

“I think coming into every single quarter it’s all about defense, just putting our foot on the gas and keep it going,” said Miami’s Amber Scalia. “I think the biggest thing that we said after every timeout, it’s all about defense.” 

The RedHawks will face Ohio, the fifth seed in the tournament, Friday morning.  

“We’re here to win championships, so we won one and our objective is to win both of them,” said Miami head coach Glenn Box. “We know it’s hard. We’re here for a one-game winning streak.”