DaytonDailyNews.com

Miami seeks turnaround

Time is becoming scarce for the Miami University women's basketball team if the RedHawks want to get their season back on track in time to make a good showing in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

Unfortunately for the RedHawks, they've lost five out of their last six and only two games remain in their regular season, and both are against tough opponents.

Miami will play the Kent State Golden Flashes in a Saturday afternoon home game — the first half of a women's/men's doubleheader — and then travel to Bowling Green for the regular-season finale on Wednesday against a Falcons squad which is ranked 18th by The Associated Press and 16th by USA Today/ESPN.

Saturday's game starts at noon and will be televised by FSN Ohio.

On the plus side, Miami played very well against both the Flashes and Falcons earlier this season, losing by only seven points at Kent State and three days later falling at home to Bowling Green by eight points.

Record within sight

Miami junior guard Amanda Jackson needs just 52 points to break the team's single-season scoring record (524) set by Heather Cusick during her junior year in 2002.

Jackson raised her total to 473 after erupting for 28 points Wednesday night in Miami's 77-75 loss at Akron.

That's already the sixth-highest total in school history and Miami has at least three games remaining, including its first-round game in the MAC Tournament.

She has been particularly strong in the second half of games since the start of the MAC season. Jackson is averaging 12.4 points over the final 20 minutes of conference games. Jackson also is moving steadily up the career-point chart. She recently passed Gaby Downey (1985-90) and Linda Mallender (1981-85) for 10th place, and now she's closing in on Kris Livingston (ninth with 1,226 points) and Julie Howell (eighth with 1,227).

— Pete Conrad