TOLEDO, OH - Toledo ran its home win streak to five consecutive games with a resounding 63-46 victory over Ball State in Wednesday's Mid-American Conference opener in Savage Arena. With the double-digit triumph, the Rockets improve to 9-5 overall, 1-0 in the league.
UT limited the Cardinals (5-9, 0-1 MAC) to their second-lowest scoring output of the season, holding them to 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the field and 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from beyond the arc. The 2009-10 MAC West Division champs also forced BSU into committing 27 turnovers, which they translated into 20 points. BSU entered tonight's lid lifter averaging 64.0 points per game, shooting 38.2 percent from the floor and 34.1 percent from three-point range.
Senior Melissa Goodall and junior Naama Shafir led the Rockets with 14 points each. Goodall also contributed a game-high eight boards, three blocked shots and three steals, while Shafir finished with a game-high four helpers and two thefts. Goodall has now scored in double figures in a team-best 13 contests this season, followed closely by Shafir with 11 games of at least 10 points.
Toledo also received quality performances from senior Jessica Williams (8 pts.), redshirt freshman Andola Dortch (7 pts.) and sophomore Yolanda Richardson (6 pts., 8 rebs.) to claim its third consecutive win against MAC West Division foe Ball State.
After the teams exchanged opening baskets, the Rockets went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-3 lead at the 11:13 mark. Five different UT players scored in the burst to give the home team an early double digit advantage.
BSU quickly countered a 9-0 burst over the next two-plus minutes to make it a two-point difference, 14-12, at 8:36. MAC Player of the Year candidate Emily Maggert sparked the rally with seven of the nine points to severely close the gap.
Toledo needed an answer to the BSU run and promptly closed the half with a 12-4 run to take a comfortable 26-16 lead into the intermission. The Rockets' defense held the Cardinals to 25.0 percent shooting in the opening half and caused 16 miscues.
UT continued to pour it on to start the second half and seven-straight points from Shafir increased the margin to 39-25 with 11:58 left in regulation.
The home team's advantage swelled to as many as 25 points in the waning moments of the contest, as they coasted to their ninth victory in their last 10 league openers.
Maggert paced the Cardinals with a game-high 18 points. The 2009-10 second-team All-MAC performer was the lone BSU player in double figures.
The Rockets return to action on Saturday, Jan. 8 when they travel to Kalamazoo, MI to battle West Division foe Western Michigan at 2:00 p.m. in University Arena. UT and WMU will be meeting for the first of two matchups during the 2011 MAC campaign and the 62nd time overall. Toledo leads the series, 43-18, and won both contests against its division rival last season, 72-47, on the road (Jan. 20) and 65-41 at home (Feb. 13) to sweep the regular-season series for the third time in the las t four years. UT also holds an 18-10 edge in games played on WMU's home floor.
