University of Toledo
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Toledo Downs Central Michigan, 65-51
2/8/2005 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo snapped its two-game losing skid Tuesday night with a 65-51 win over Central Michigan before 2,586 fans at Savage Hall.
With the victory, the Rockets improve to 10-11 on the season and 6-4 in the MAC West. UT mentor Mark Ehlen also recorded his 200th win as a head coach in the conference. Ehlen joins Kent State's Bob Lindsay as the only two coaches in league history to win 200 or more games at a MAC institution.
"It's a good win," Ehlen said. "Despite Central Michigan's record, every team in the league is very competitive. I thought defensively we were sound for most of the game and to hold CMU to only 51 points is pretty good. For us to be successful, our defense has to be there the whole time, and I thought it was tonight."
Sophomore Danielle Bishop led the Rockets with a game-high 20 points, six rebounds and five steals. It is the seventh time in Bishop's career she has tallied at least 20 points in a game. Classmate Savannah Werner also tallied double figures with a career-best 12 points. The Rockets received good contributions from all 11 players in uniform, as six players tallied at least six points.
"We need more than one or two players making positive contributions on an every game basis," Ehlen said. "You can't rely on just one or two people, it takes eight or nine, and I thought we got that tonight. Our effort at both ends was really good."
UT shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the field, including 38.5 (5-of-13) from three-point range and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free throw line. The Rockets also dished out 19 assists, while committing only 13 turnovers.
Ann Skufca and Casey Manning paced CMU with 10 points, respectively. The Chippewas were limited to 36.0 percent (18-of-50) shooting from the field and committed 18 turnovers.
"This game showed a total team effort by us at both ends of the court," Werner said. "We played well defensively and that resulting in us getting a lot of quality offensive looks."
Toledo jumped out of the gates quickly, scoring the first six points of the contest. CMU (8-13, 2-8 MAC) quickly retaliated tallying nine of the next 10 points, including a three-point field goal by Lindy Hatfield to give the Chippewas a 9-7 advantage with 14:22 remaining in the first half.
Bishop then single-handedly put the Rockets back in the lead with a pair of free throws, followed by a steal and layup to make the score 14-13. Bishop scored nine of the UT's first 14 points.
Toledo then increased its lead to 19-13 on a three-point play by junior Crystal Young with 10:28 left. The Rockets established their early advantage with precision shooting, making eight of their first 15 shots from the floor.
CMU, though, was equal to the challenge and tied the score at 21-21 on a jumper in the lane by Skufca.
Toledo regained the lead for good, 27-21, on six-consecutive points by Werner, including a good low-post move with 4:43 left. The Rockets pushed their advantage to 36-26 on a three-point field goal by freshman Kristi Zeller and led 40-28 at the intermission.
UT shot an impressive 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the first 20 minutes. The Rockets also dished out 13 assists on the 15 baskets, while committing only six turnovers. Werner tallied 10 of the 40 points on 4-of-4 field goal attempts.
"I really liked what we did offensively in the first half," Ehlen said. "We attacked their defense very well. When we score 40 points in one half, that is pretty good."
In the second half, the Rockets continued to push the action and led 47-32 after a jumper at the top of the key by sophomore Allison Lindborg. Over the next several minutes, though, both squads would go cold from the floor but UT maintained its lead, 53-42, with 7:58 remaining in regulation.
CMU made final one push with a full-court press and cut the lead to 59-49 with 3:57 left, but UT was simply too much down the stretch to record its 10th-consecutive victory over the Chippewas.
"In the second half, I thought we got tentative," Ehlen said. "We lost some transition opportunities that were right there and could have widened the gap. We got sloppy and careless with the basketball. It wasn't perfect but it will pass, the effort was there."
Toledo returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 12 when it hosts Ohio at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's matchup is the second game of a doubleheader with the UT men's squad, which hosts Northern Illinois at 4:30 p.m.
