TOLEDO, OH – Toledo manufactured a hard-fought 80-73 victory over Western Michigan in Saturday's Mid-American Conference action before 4,216 fans in Savage Arena. With the win, the Rockets improve to 7-7 overall, 2-1 in the league.

UT outscored WMU 11-1 over the final two-plus minutes of regulation in a tightly-contested affair that featured 12 lead changes and 11 ties.
 
Sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott and senior Brenae Harris paced UT with a season-high 24 and 22 points, respectively. The dynamic duo combined to shot 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the floor, including 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from three-point range, and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.   

Harris added a season-high 11 rebounds and just missed tallying the second triple-double in program history, finishing with a season-tying best nine assists. The Marion, OH recorded the lone triple-double in school annals against Wright State in the first round of the Postseason WNIT (March 20).

The Midnight Blue & Gold also received 10 points each from senior Ana Capotosto and junior Janice Monakana, as well as six points and a season-high eight caroms by freshman Kaayla McIntyre.

As a team, the Rockets shot an efficient 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the field, including 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from three-point land, and a flashy 83.3 percent (25-of-30) from the charity stripe to post their fourth-straight victory over Western Michigan. The 25 free throws made is a season high.

Meredith Shipman led the Broncos (9-6, 1-2 MAC) with a career-high 31 points, draining a Savage Arena record nine three-point field goals. Shipman was outstanding from long range, shooting nine-of-14 from beyond the arc. The third-year player came into today's match-up averaging 8.8 points per game. 

With UT trailing 72-69 in the final quarter, the Midnight Blue & Gold recaptured the lead for good on the heels of four-consecutive free throws by Monakana. The final two conversions made the score 73-72 with 1:38 left in regulation.  

Following a WMU missed shot and both teams splitting two charity tosses, the visitors fouled Bravo-Harriott with 31.6 seconds remaining. The London, England native calmly stepped to the stripe and drained both free throws to set the margin at 76-73.
    
Needing a three pointer to tie, the Broncos' Alex Morton's triple attempt was off the mark and rebounded by Harris, who was immediately fouled with 15.8 seconds left.

Harris nailed both free throws to essentially seal the victory and followed those up with two more in the waning seconds to close out UT's seventh win in the last eight games.

At the outset, Toledo started fast and held a 9-3 lead at the 7:12 mark in the opening period. The Rockets hit four of their first five shots from the field, including a triple and a layup from Bravo-Harriott.

UT continued to shoot the ball well in the perimeter in the opening 10 minutes, receiving treys from Capotosto and Bravo-Harriott to make the score 19-12 at the conclusion of the period.

The Midnight Blue & Gold shot 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the field in the first period, including three-of-four from beyond the arc.

Toledo did not skip a beat to start the second quarter, knocking down its first three shot to extend the margin to nine points, 26-17, at the 8:48 mark. Capotosto started the attack with a jumper along the baseline, followed by a traditional three-point play from junior Sophie Reecher and Bravo-Harriott capped the burst with a jumper.  

WMU's Shipman almost single handedly kept the visitors in the contest in the second period, knocking down five three-point field goals to draw the teams even at 37-37 at halftime. She buried four treys in the quarter alone to erase the Broncos' three-possession deficit.  

The teams then traded the lead eight times in the third period, with neither squad holding more than a five-point cushion. UT scored seven of the final 10 points in the quarter to assume a 63-59 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of competition.

The fourth quarter was much of the same in the tightly-contested affair. The Rockets looked like they something working following layups from Capotosto and McIntyre to create a six-point bulge, 69-63, at the 5:28 mark. 

The Broncos quickly responded with a pair of treys from Smith to shift the lead back in their favor, 72-69, with 2:46 left on the clock, setting the stage for a fantastic UT finish.

The Rockets totaled a season-tying best 18 assists and 14 turnovers, marking the seventh time in the last eight games they had more helpers than miscues. UT did a nice job taking care of the basketball in the second half and had only four turnovers.  

UT will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 13 when it travels to MAC East Division foe Miami (7-7, 1-2 MAC). The opening tip versus the RedHawks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Millett Hall and can be watched on ESPN3.

A season ago, the Rockets claimed a 63-53 home victory (Jan. 3) in the MAC opener. The cross-division foes also squared off in the opening round of the conference tournament, with Toledo securing a 62-47 home triumph (March 9).