Saturday, January 28
Toledo, OH
4:30 p.m.
University of Toledo
13-6 (4-4MAC)
74
vs
72
Central Michigan (DH)
14-6 (6-2MAC)
1
2
3
4
F
Central Michigan
11
21
25
15
72
Toledo
17
19
16
22
74
Senior Janice Monakana led a season-tying best five Rockets in double figures with 18 points, six rebounds and a contest-best three steals against CMU on Saturday.
Photo by: Toledo Athletics
Toledo Outlasts MAC West Division Rival Central Michigan at Home, 74-72
1/28/2017 7:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, OH – Toledo secured a thrilling 74-72 victory over Central Michigan in Saturday's Mid-American Conference West Division showdown before 4,309 fans in Savage Arena. With the hard-fought win, UT snaps its three-game losing skid and improves to 13-6 overall, 4-4 in the league.
Senior Janice Monakana led a season-tying best five Rockets in double figures with 18 points, six rebounds and a contest-best three steals, followed closely by sophomore Kaayla McIntyre with 15 points, seven boards and a contest-tying best two rejections.
Junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott returned to the lineup and tallied 13 points, while sophomore Halee Printz had a season-high 12 points and sophomore Mikaela Boyd contributed 11 points, a squad-best nine caroms and a career-tying best eight helpers.
As a team, the Rockets shot 41.8 percent (28-of-67) from the field, including an impressive 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from three-point range, and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from the charity stripe to claim their fifth-straight triumph over the reigning MAC West Division champion Chippewas (14-6, 6-2 MAC).
Toledo was outstanding on the glass against an ultra-athletic Central Michigan squad and finished with 40-38 rebounding edge. Among those 40 boards were a season-tying best 21 offensive rebounds, which the Rockets translated into a 22-11 edge in second-chance points. CMU came into today's division match-up leading the MAC in rebounding margin (+6.7) in league games.
In addition, UT was solid taking care of the pumpkin and had a conference-season high 23 dimes and only 14 turnovers.
Tinara Moore paced Central Michigan with a season-best 33 points and Aleah Swary chipped in with 11 off the bench. CMU's leading scorer, Presley Hudson, was held to only nine points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor. Hudson was averaging a conference-best 27.1 ppg in MAC games.
In a see-saw affair that featured six ties and six lead changes, the Rockets trailed 70-68 when Bravo-Harriott buried her second triple of the contest to give the home team the lead for good with 54 seconds left.
Following three-consecutive missed shots by CMU, Monakana drained a pair of charity tosses to stretch UT's margin to three points, 73-70, with 25.4 seconds remaining.
The Rockets immediately fouled CMU's Moore to not allow the visitors to get off a three-point shot to tie the game in the waning seconds of regulation. Moore converted both of her free throws to make it a one-point difference, 73-72, with 23.8 tix left.
Central Michigan was then forced to foul UT freshman Mariella Santucci to get the ball back and the gamble paid off, as the Bologna, Italy native missed both of her shots with 17.1 seconds remaining.
Fortunately for the Rockets, CMU's Hudson was called for an offensive charge with a mere 6.6 seconds left on its ensuing possession to give the ball back to the home team.
Central Michigan immediately fouled Boyd following the inbound pass, and the Hillside, IL native split a pair of free throws to make the final score 74-72.
CMU had one final chance to force overtime as a final horn sounded, but Jewel Cotton's 16-foot shot from the left wing was off the mark to send UT's players and fans into a frenzy.
At the outset, McIntyre scored the Rockets' first six points, helping them race out to a 12-4 lead at the 5:29 mark. The Toledo native was credited with a pair of layups and a jumper to give the home team the early three-possession advantage.
The second-year Rocket remained red-hot shooting the basketball and knocked down two more shots in close succession to establish a 19-14 lead with 8:43 remaining in the opening half. McIntyre was strong in the post, draining five of her first six shots from the floor to make it a five-point difference.
UT's Monakana fed off of McIntyre's strong play inside and rattled off back-to-back layups to stretch the home team's margin to 28-23 at the 5:26 mark in the second period.
Despite Toledo's strong start, Central Michigan stayed close behind solid play from Moore, as she tallied 13 points in the first half to put the visitors ahead for the first time, 32-31, at the 2:15 mark.
CMU's lead did not last long though, as UT benefited from another layup by Monakana and a second triple from Printz to give the Midnight Blue & Gold a 36-32 advantage at the intermission.
The Chippewas quickly closed the margin to a single point early in the third quarter, but the Rockets retaliated with a mini 9-3 burst to open up a 47-40 lead at the 5:23 mark. Printz buried her season-high third trey to open the rally, while Monakana accounted for the other six points to bring the home crowd to their feet.
Unfortunately for UT, Central Michigan ended the third period on a 17-5 run to create a 57-52 advantage after 30 minutes of competition. Moore spearheaded the rally with seven points, while Cotton and Hudson accounted for five points each to help the visitors turn a seven-point deficit into a five-point advantage.
The Rockets needed a spark to start the fourth quarter, and the duo of Bravo-Harriott and Printz fueled the cause by helping the team squad open the period with a 12-2 burst to reclaim the advantage, 64-59, at the 7:04 mark. Printz knocked down her career-high fourth triple to ignite the rally, before Bravo-Harriott drained a three of her own and converted a layup to force CMU to call a timeout.
The stoppage in play halted UT's momentum, as Central Michigan tallied nine of the next 11 points to push the lead back in its favor, 68-66, with 3:10 left in the fourth period. The Chippewas scored all of their points at the charity stripe over the course of the next three-plus minutes to set the stage for the fantastic finish.
CMU was held without a field goal in the fourth quarter, as the visitors missed all nine of their shots from the field.
The Rockets will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 1 when they host 2016 MAC Tournament champion Buffalo (15-5, 5-4 MAC). The opening tip versus the Bulls is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed lived on ESPN3.
UT and UB will meet for the second time in three weeks and 25th time overall. Toledo secured a 73-64 road victory against the Bulls on Jan. 11 in Alumni Arena.
The Rockets lead the all-time series, 20-4, and have won all 10 meetings against their cross-division foe at home. A year ago, UT claimed a 71-60 home win (Feb. 10).
Coach Cullop post-game comments
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott post-game comments
Senior Janice Monakana led a season-tying best five Rockets in double figures with 18 points, six rebounds and a contest-best three steals, followed closely by sophomore Kaayla McIntyre with 15 points, seven boards and a contest-tying best two rejections.
Junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott returned to the lineup and tallied 13 points, while sophomore Halee Printz had a season-high 12 points and sophomore Mikaela Boyd contributed 11 points, a squad-best nine caroms and a career-tying best eight helpers.
As a team, the Rockets shot 41.8 percent (28-of-67) from the field, including an impressive 40.0 percent (8-of-20) from three-point range, and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from the charity stripe to claim their fifth-straight triumph over the reigning MAC West Division champion Chippewas (14-6, 6-2 MAC).
Toledo was outstanding on the glass against an ultra-athletic Central Michigan squad and finished with 40-38 rebounding edge. Among those 40 boards were a season-tying best 21 offensive rebounds, which the Rockets translated into a 22-11 edge in second-chance points. CMU came into today's division match-up leading the MAC in rebounding margin (+6.7) in league games.
In addition, UT was solid taking care of the pumpkin and had a conference-season high 23 dimes and only 14 turnovers.
Tinara Moore paced Central Michigan with a season-best 33 points and Aleah Swary chipped in with 11 off the bench. CMU's leading scorer, Presley Hudson, was held to only nine points on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor. Hudson was averaging a conference-best 27.1 ppg in MAC games.
In a see-saw affair that featured six ties and six lead changes, the Rockets trailed 70-68 when Bravo-Harriott buried her second triple of the contest to give the home team the lead for good with 54 seconds left.
Following three-consecutive missed shots by CMU, Monakana drained a pair of charity tosses to stretch UT's margin to three points, 73-70, with 25.4 seconds remaining.
The Rockets immediately fouled CMU's Moore to not allow the visitors to get off a three-point shot to tie the game in the waning seconds of regulation. Moore converted both of her free throws to make it a one-point difference, 73-72, with 23.8 tix left.
Central Michigan was then forced to foul UT freshman Mariella Santucci to get the ball back and the gamble paid off, as the Bologna, Italy native missed both of her shots with 17.1 seconds remaining.
Fortunately for the Rockets, CMU's Hudson was called for an offensive charge with a mere 6.6 seconds left on its ensuing possession to give the ball back to the home team.
Central Michigan immediately fouled Boyd following the inbound pass, and the Hillside, IL native split a pair of free throws to make the final score 74-72.
CMU had one final chance to force overtime as a final horn sounded, but Jewel Cotton's 16-foot shot from the left wing was off the mark to send UT's players and fans into a frenzy.
At the outset, McIntyre scored the Rockets' first six points, helping them race out to a 12-4 lead at the 5:29 mark. The Toledo native was credited with a pair of layups and a jumper to give the home team the early three-possession advantage.
The second-year Rocket remained red-hot shooting the basketball and knocked down two more shots in close succession to establish a 19-14 lead with 8:43 remaining in the opening half. McIntyre was strong in the post, draining five of her first six shots from the floor to make it a five-point difference.
UT's Monakana fed off of McIntyre's strong play inside and rattled off back-to-back layups to stretch the home team's margin to 28-23 at the 5:26 mark in the second period.
Despite Toledo's strong start, Central Michigan stayed close behind solid play from Moore, as she tallied 13 points in the first half to put the visitors ahead for the first time, 32-31, at the 2:15 mark.
CMU's lead did not last long though, as UT benefited from another layup by Monakana and a second triple from Printz to give the Midnight Blue & Gold a 36-32 advantage at the intermission.
The Chippewas quickly closed the margin to a single point early in the third quarter, but the Rockets retaliated with a mini 9-3 burst to open up a 47-40 lead at the 5:23 mark. Printz buried her season-high third trey to open the rally, while Monakana accounted for the other six points to bring the home crowd to their feet.
Unfortunately for UT, Central Michigan ended the third period on a 17-5 run to create a 57-52 advantage after 30 minutes of competition. Moore spearheaded the rally with seven points, while Cotton and Hudson accounted for five points each to help the visitors turn a seven-point deficit into a five-point advantage.
The Rockets needed a spark to start the fourth quarter, and the duo of Bravo-Harriott and Printz fueled the cause by helping the team squad open the period with a 12-2 burst to reclaim the advantage, 64-59, at the 7:04 mark. Printz knocked down her career-high fourth triple to ignite the rally, before Bravo-Harriott drained a three of her own and converted a layup to force CMU to call a timeout.
The stoppage in play halted UT's momentum, as Central Michigan tallied nine of the next 11 points to push the lead back in its favor, 68-66, with 3:10 left in the fourth period. The Chippewas scored all of their points at the charity stripe over the course of the next three-plus minutes to set the stage for the fantastic finish.
CMU was held without a field goal in the fourth quarter, as the visitors missed all nine of their shots from the field.
The Rockets will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 1 when they host 2016 MAC Tournament champion Buffalo (15-5, 5-4 MAC). The opening tip versus the Bulls is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Savage Arena and will be streamed lived on ESPN3.
UT and UB will meet for the second time in three weeks and 25th time overall. Toledo secured a 73-64 road victory against the Bulls on Jan. 11 in Alumni Arena.
The Rockets lead the all-time series, 20-4, and have won all 10 meetings against their cross-division foe at home. A year ago, UT claimed a 71-60 home win (Feb. 10).
Coach Cullop post-game comments
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott post-game comments
Team Stats
CMU
TOLEDO
FG%
.396
.418
3FG%
.300
.400
FT%
.828
.435
RB
38
40
TO
18
14
STL
6
7
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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