TOLEDO, OH - Senior forward Tamesha Scotton led four Rockets in double figures with 17 points as Toledo defeated MAC pre-season favorite Ball State, 72-66, at Savage Hall Saturday night.
Playing perhaps their finest all-around game this season, the Rockets were in control throughout most of the game. Ball State pulled to within two points, 66-64, with 1:41 to play, but senior guard Olivia Terry nailed a 17-foot jumper and sophomore forward Lisa Johnson came up with a blocked shot to stop the Cardinals' momentum. Senior guard Ta'Yani Clark iced the game with four free throws in the final 18 seconds.
"It doesn't get much better for us than tonight," said UT head coach Mark Ehlen. "They were 3-0 in the MAC, picked to win the league. We battled for 40 minutes. We wanted to win the battled of the boards and get to the free throw line, and we did both of those things. And I thought we did a good job on Porchia Green, who really is tough to defend."
Toledo outrebounded the Cardinals, 40-37, and made 18-of-22 free throws.
Scotton, playing for the first time since sitting out four games due to a suspension, hit 8-of-13 shots and was two points shy of her career high. Johnson tied her career high with 14 points on 7-of-12 shots and added 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Clark chipped in with 12 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Nacole Stocks had 11 points.
"We knew we had to come out ready to fight," said Scotton. "It was crucial for the post players to score in the paint and rebound. We played an all-around team game for 40 minutes and it showed."
"We didn't let their run get to our heads," said Johnson. "We worked hard for this game. We deserved to win this game. Everybody had huge shots and huge defensive plays. This was a team effort."
Toledo led at halftime, 37-32, thanks to eight points from Johnson and seven points from Scotton, Ball State opened the contest with a 15-9 lead before Toledo roared back. Johnson and Clark combined for 10 points in a 15-0 Rocket run that gave them a 24-15 lead with 9:47 to play in the first half.
In the second half, Toledo led by as many as 11 points before Ball State rallied behind Green, who scored 10 of her 12 points in the final 20 minutes.
With the victory, Toledo is now 9-7, 2-2 in the MAC. Ball State falls to 7-10, 3-1 MAC.
The Rockets will next travel to DeKalb, IL for a game on Tuesday against Northern Illinois at 7:00 p.m. (CT)
