Recap: Miami women’s basketball opens 2026-27 season with 59-52 home opener win

This season’s quest for another Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and berth in the March Madness tournament for the Miami University women’s basketball team began at Millett Hall against the James Madison University Dukes, as the RedHawks took a 59-52 win.

The RedHawks placed second in the MAC Preseason Poll, with votes being cast by the head coaches of each program. They were three points behind Ball State University (equivalent to one first place vote), while James Madison finished first in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll.

James Madison struggled early controlling the ball, as the RedHawks forced two turnovers on fastbreaks within the first two minutes of the first quarter. Two moving screen fouls also caused turnovers for the visitors, leading to points for the home team.

The RedHawks went on a 10-0 run before James Madison tallied its first bucket thanks to sophomore forward Grace McDonough. 

Miami entered the bonus with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. But on the other side of the coin, senior forward and 2025-26 first team All-MAC player Amber Tretter found herself in foul trouble, subbing off around the same time.

The first quarter ended with the RedHawks up 19-12 following a late three-pointer from James Madison senior guard Bree Robinson, also the Dukes’ top returning scorer.

Senior guard and Grand Canyon University transfer Julianna LaMendola and sophomore guard and Butler University transfer Addison Baxter led the way with six points each. 

Within the first two and a half minutes of the second quarter, James Madison scored nine straight points to take the lead 22-19, and another bucket by LaMendola halted the run to make the deficit just one point. 

Junior forward Lucía Martínez López knocked down a triple to re-establish the Miami lead to 24-22 before a timeout was called by the Dukes with 5:52 remaining in the second quarter.

Almost three minutes passed before another basket was scored, as Baxter added another two points to her tally on a fading right-handed layup under the basket. 

The Dukes cut the lead to three points with a steal and a layup in the final minute, but a designed play left Baxter in the corner for a late three-pointer to put Miami up 31-25 heading into halftime.

Baxter was the halftime leader in points for the RedHawks with 13, while LaMendola followed her up with eight. Baxter was also the rebound leader for Miami, and topping the box score in assists was senior guard Núria Jurjo with three.

For the Dukes, Robinson led the way with eight points, while freshman guard Maddie Leach followed close behind with six points and held the team-lead in assists with two.

James Madison’s Robinson started the second half with a made layup, putting her in the double-digit point mark, but LaMendola responded with a three pointer to put her point total into double digits. 

Play moved back and forth with Miami leading 34-29 and fouls being called on both ends of the floor. 

Tretter recorded her first points of the season on a layup assisted by Baxter, her second of the third quarter. Then, freshman guard Brooke Zartman scored the first points of her collegiate career on a left-wing three-point shot to put the RedHawks up 39-33 with 4:51 remaining in the quarter.

With 3:19 left, LaMendola powered her way through the paint and drew an and-one foul. She converted the free throw, taking over the RedHawks point lead with 14 compared to Baxter’s 13. The conversion put Miami over the 40-point total, leading 42-35.

A lengthy review by the officials was held after a hard foul by LaMendola on sixth-year forward Trinity Moore resulted in a trip on the Miami guard after the whistle. Nothing came of the review, and Moore knocked down her free throws to cut the Miami lead to six points.

At the end of the third quarter, Miami led the Dukes 46-38, outsourcing the visitors 15-13 through those 10 minutes. LaMendola scored 10 of those 15 points. 

James Madison started the fourth quarter with a six-point run, bringing Miami’s lead to just two points. But free throws made by Jurjo with 8:30 left put the RedHawks back up four points. 

LaMendola continued her dominance in the paint, making a layup to push her to the 20-point mark and Miami to the 50-point total. 

With 3:51 remaining, Miami led 52-45 when Tretter drew a shooting foul on a three-pointer, sending her to the foul line, where she made just one. 

Up 55-45 with three minutes remaining, Dukes’ senior guard Zakiya Stephenson hit a three to cut the Miami lead to seven points, putting her at 11 points for the game. 

James Madison added another five points to cut the RedHawks’ lead to 55-50, but with 31.4 seconds left in the game, Jurjo knocked down two free throws in the bonus to put Miami up 57-50. 

The RedHawks added two points via free throws, and James Madison posted another layup to make the score 59-52 as time expired.

“I'm elated,” Head Coach Glenn Box said. “Obviously, really happy that we simply won. The season is so long, and we have such turnover in our roster. To be able to win a game, the first game of the season, without a tune-up game, that's a big deal. It's a big win for our program.”

LaMendola finished the night as Miami’s leading scorer, tallying 24. She was one rebound away from a double-double and collected three steals. 

“I guess (scoring is) my job,” LaMendola said. “It's everybody's job. Today was my day, but we have so much firepower on this team.”

Following LaMendola statistically was Baxter, who finished the game with 13 points, three assists, four rebounds and, more impressively, a game-high five steals.

Both LaMendola and Baxter played 38 of the 40 minutes against the Dukes.

“I love Addie Baxter,” LaMendola said. “That girl is very selfless. She is one of the hardest-working girls. Everybody works hard here, but she's just really grown her game since being here. … She's very talented, and I love playing with her and the rest of my team every day.”

While five of the steals were Baxter’s, the RedHawks tallied 14 total for the game, with energy and physicality on defense being a priority for Box’s squad heading into an important matchup.

The last time the RedHawks tallied at least 14 steals was on Feb. 21 against Ball State at home. The season high last year was 16 on Nov. 7, 2025, against Cedarville University. 

“We prioritize energy and effort here,” Box said. “There are standards and expectations that each person has to meet, and playing hard is extreme here. … Our kids play really hard. They're physically strong. We're very confident. We’re very physical.”

The RedHawks didn’t see much from their returners tonight. Tretter saw foul trouble early and netted only three points. Fifth-year guard Amber Scalia, who hasn’t practiced much due to her lawsuit against the NCAA regarding the new eligibility rules, finished with no points, no assists, two steals, two turnovers and just one rebound. 

However, considering both of their impacts last season and the depth on display against a strong James Madison program, this felt like an anomaly more than anything.

“That's crazy, right?” Box said about a win with those two players combining for just three points. “I would not have thought that.”

The RedHawks women’s basketball team takes the court on the road against Southeast Missouri State University on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. ET.