MOUNT PLEASANT, MI – Senior Brenae Harris hit a layup with 9.2 seconds left to lift Toledo to an 81-79 overtime victory at Mid-American Conference West Division leader Central Michigan on Saturday in McGuirk Arena. With the hard-fought win, the Rockets improve to 15-10 overall, 10-4 in the league.

The Chippewas (17-8, 11-3 MAC) had a chance to win the MAC West Division showdown at the final horn, but Da'Jourie Turner's three-point field-goal attempt was off the mark.

Harris finished with a game-high 23 points in a career-best 44 minutes, followed by sophomore Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott with 19 points and a squad-high five helpers in a collegiate-best 40 minutes.

The Midnight Blue & Gold also received 15 points and seven boards from junior Janice Monakana, as well as nine points and a team-high nine caroms from freshman Kaayla McIntyre.

McIntyre & Monakana strong play on the glass helped Toledo outrebound the MAC's top team on the boards, 40-37. The Chippewas came into today's contest outrebounding their opponents by an average of 7.8 rpg. 

As a team, UT shot a sizzling 51.6 percent (32-of-62) from the field, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from beyond the arc, and 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the charity stripe to end CMU's eight-game winning streak.

Tinara Moore paced five Chippewas in double figures with 16 points, followed by Cassie Breen with 15, Turner had 14, Reyna Frost totaled 12 and Presley Hudson finished with 11.

The team's traded the lead in the opening three-plus minutes of the extra period. UT took advantage of triples by senior Ana Capotosto and Bravo-Harriott to stay within one point, 76-75, at the 1:48 mark.

UT then captured the advantage on its next possession, as Capotosto knocked down two free throws with 1:25 left on the clock. The Saugatuck, MI native scored five of her seven points in overtime.

Following a CMU turnover, Harris knocked a jumper from the elbow to make it a three-point difference, 79-76, at the 1:04 mark.

Central Michigan's Turner followed with a pair of charity tosses, before Harris misfired on a jumper to put the ball back in the hands of the home team with only 30 ticks remaining.

CMU's Moore then split two free throws to tie the score for an eighth time, 79-79, and give the ball to the Rockets with the chance to win the game.

Instead of holding for the final shot, Harris took the ball hard to the basket and converted a layup from the left side with just over nine seconds showing the clock.

The Chippewas immediately called a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt and set up for a final play.

CMU's Turner received a pass on the wing during the final possession, was forced to dribble the ball toward the corner and put up a three-point shot that bounced off the rim as the final horn sounded.

At the outset, Toledo hit four of its first six shots from the floor and jumped out to a 9-3 lead at the 6:30 mark. Three different Rockets knocked down shots in the opening three-plus minutes, including back-to-back layups from Monakana.

The Rockets remained dialed in offensively at the start, taking advantage of a pair of layups from McIntyre to make the score 21-12 at the end of the first 10 minutes. UT shot a sparkling 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field in the quarter.

Toledo did not skip a beat in the second quarter, utilizing triples from Monakana and Bravo-Harriott to extend the lead to double figures, 31-20, with 5:14 remaining in the opening half.

The Rockets cooled off a little as the second period wore on, but their lead remained at least five points for the remainder of the opening half.  UT rode the back of Harris and Bravo-Harriott for nine points each to take a 34-29 advantage into the intermission.

UT shot a solid 56.0 percent (14-of-25) from the field in the first half, compared to 37.5 percent (12-of-32) for CMU.

The Chippewas started to heat up in the third quarter, benefitting from a pair of treys from Breen to knot the score at 37-37 at the 8:02 mark.

Toledo responded, though, with a pair of layups from Monakana, as well as close range shots from junior Sophie Reecher and Bravo-Harriott to hold a 47-43 lead with 4:32 left in the period.

Central Michigan eventually tied the score for a second time, 54-54, late in the stanza on the strength of nine free throws by Breen.

UT would answer the bell once again, as freshman Sarah St-Fort converted a layup with less than one second left in the period, 56-54.

Toledo fed off St-Fort's play and rattled off eight of the first 12 points in the final period to make the difference 64-58 with 6:47 left in regulation. Four different Rockets tallied points in this stretch to make it a two-possession contest.

The Rockets would go scoreless for the next six-plus minutes, though, while CMU benefited from layups by Frost and Turner and another trey from Breen to retake the lead, 65-64, with 56 seconds left in regulation.

The Rockets called a timeout and set up a play for McIntyre, who converted a layup to give the advantage back to the visitors, 66-65, with 27.4 seconds remaining.

Following a missed layup by CMU, Bravo-Harriott split a pair of charity tosses and Harris knocked down both of her free throws to make UT's lead 69-67 with 4.2 ticks left.

Central Michigan signaled a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt and Hudson successfully made a layup with 0.8 seconds left to force overtime.

The Rockets will return to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 24 when they host MAC West Division rival Eastern Michigan. The opening tip versus the Eagles is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and can be seen on ESPN3.

Earlier this season, the Eagles registered a 59-41 triumph over the Rockets in the Convocation Center on Jan. 23.     

The Rockets maintain a 46-31 (.597) advantage in the all-time series, including a 25-11 (.694) edge in contests played in Savage Arena. 

A year ago, Eastern Michigan escaped the "Glass City" with a 75-61 road victory over Toledo (Jan. 24, 2015).