Miami Wins 2026 MAC Tournament Title; Punches Ticket to NCAA Tournament

The Miami University women's basketball team scored the first 16 points of the game and led start-to-finish to claim the MAC Tournament championship with a 68-58 win over Toledo Saturday. The top-seeded RedHawks (28-6) got 23 points and 10 rebounds from Amber Tretter (6'1''-F) to defeat the Rockets (17-15) and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. Ilse De Vries (6'3''-F-2005) added 17 points, while Amber Scalia chipped in 14 and Tamar Singer (5'4''-G-2004) added 13. Scalia was named the MAC Tournament MVP, with Tretter and Singer joining her on the All-Tournament Team.

How it Happened:
The RedHawks held Toledo scoreless for more than seven minutes to open the game, jumping out to a commanding 16-0 lead. Singer scored on the first offensive trip, and inside moves by Scalia and Tretter stretched the lead to six. Scalia hit a pullup and scored in transition to give Miami its first double-digit cushion at 10-0, and de Vries' footwork on the baseline led to a lay-in and a Toledo timeout at 12-0. After Tretter drove and scored, Singer stole the ball and went coast-to-coast to cap the run of 16 consecutive points. Miami led 16-6 after 10 minutes of play
Another 10-0 run for Miami doubled the lead to 20 with 6:15 remaining in the half. First, Scalia scored on a Eurostep and Singer used a stop-and-start move to put Miami on top 20-6. de Vries then followed with back-to-back shots from downtown to give Miami its biggest lead of the game at 26-6. Toledo fought back with a 10-2 run to close the period to pull within 28-16 at the break.
Leading 28-18 early in the third quarter, Miami produced baskets on three consecutive trips to maintain a double-digit cushion. Tretter drilled a three-pointer from the right wing and de Vries got a shot in close to roll home before Scalia got open curling down the lane for a 35-23 lead. Miami made it 40-27 at the 5:40 mark after Tretter hit a triple in front of the Miami bench and then drove into the Rockets' defense to hit Scalia for a layup. After a tough move in the paint by de Vries made it 42-31, Toledo used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to single digits for the first time. Scalia scored on an isolation move in the lane and Tretter pushed a five-point lead to seven with a pair of foul shots on Miami's final possession of the quarter as the RedHawks led 47-40 heading to the final period.
Miami ran its offense through Tretter as the fourth quarter unfolded, and the junior forward responded with a pair of strong right-handed moves at the rim to keep Miami up 51-43 with 7:20 to go. De Vries buried a massive triple from the left wing for a 54-45 lead with 5:30 showing on the clock. Tretter converted two free throws and then Singer made possibly the biggest bucket of the game with a three-point play at the 3:24 mark to make it 59-50. The Rockets never got closer than five points, and the RedHawks went 12-of-14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to finish off their first MAC Tournament title since 2008.

Final:
Miami - Toledo 68-58

Semis:
Miami - Ohio 80-52
Ball State - Toledo 65-69

Courtesy of getsomemaction.com